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JESUS BRINGS SONS TO GLORY
A. Introduction: For a number of weeks we’ve been talking about the fact that peace of mind is one of the many
blessings God promises to His people. John 14:27; John 16:33
1. Peace of mind is freedom from disquieting, anxious thoughts and emotions. Peace of mind doesn’t
mean that we never have troubling thoughts. It means that we know how to answer them with truth—
information from God’s Word (the Bible).
a. In the last two lessons we’ve made the point that peace of mind comes to us in part because the Bible
assures us that we have peace with God. We need peace with God because our sin has made us
enemies of God. Col 1:21; Rom 5:10
1. The Greek word that is translated enemy means adversary or one who is hostile or antagonistic.
Our sinful actions put us in opposition to God’s will and nature. They put us at variance (in
disagreement) with His standard of righteousness.
2. Almighty God is the standard of what is righteous and holy and we all fall short—For all have
sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard (Rom 3:23, NLT).
3. But through the Cross of Christ, God has reconciled us to Himself. To reconcile means to
make friendly again. The Greek word that is translated to reconcile means to change from one
condition to another. Through Jesus we are changed from an enemy to a friend of God.
b. Col 1:21-22—By (Jesus) God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in
heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far
away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
Yet now he has brought you back as friends…through his death on the cross (NLT).
2. To fully appreciate what it means to have peace with God we must understand the big picture—why God
created men and women and what He is working to accomplish. God wants a family of holy, righteous
sons and daughters with whom He can live in loving relationship. Eph 1:4-5
a. In the last lesson we looked at Rom 8:29-30. It is a concise statement of God’s plan for man and
how He accomplishes it through Jesus Christ.
1. God predestined (decided beforehand) that Jesus would be the pattern for the family. Jesus is
is God become man without ceasing to be God. While on earth, He didn’t live as God. He
lived as a man in dependence on God as His Father and showed us what sons of God are like.
2. God calls us into His family through faith in Christ. When we respond to His call, God
justifies us and glorifies us with the goal of transforming us into sons and daughters who are
like Jesus in character and power, holiness and love.
b. We have more to say tonight. In this lesson we’re going to add to and elaborate on what it means to
be justified and glorified and how this information gives us peace of mind.
B. God’s plan for a family was seemingly taken off track when the head of the human race (Adam) chose
independence from God through disobedience and took the human race into the pigpen of sin.
1. Adam’s sin fundamentally altered human nature. Human beings, made in the image of God, became
sinners (were made sinners) by nature (Rom 5:19). When we are old enough to know right from wrong
we all choose independence from God (another name for sin).
a. Man’s problem is more than what we do; it’s what we are by birth. Because of our sinful nature we
are disqualified for sonship. A holy, righteous God cannot have sinners as sons and daughters.
b. And, to be true to His holy, righteous nature, God must punish sin. He can’t overlook sin. Justice
must be carried out. The just punishment for sin is eternal separation from God in the life to come.
1. If this penalty is enforced, God loses His family. So Almighty God devised a plan to satisfy
justice on our behalf, deliver us from the penalty, power, and corruption of sin, and restore us to
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our destiny (our created purpose) as His sons and daughters through Jesus.
2. Jesus came into this world and went to the Cross to reconcile us to God. At the Cross He took
the punishment due us for sin on Himself. He satisfied divine Justice on our behalf. Isa 53:5-6
c. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, when we believe on Him, God can justify us or declare us not guilty of
sin. The Greek word that is translated justify means to render innocent, to pronounce righteous.
1. The words righteousness and justice come from the same root Greek word. It means right or
just. Our English word righteousness comes from an older English word spelled rightwiseness
(Vine’s Dictionary). To be justified (pronounced righteous) means to be made right with God.
2. Rom 5:1—Therefore, since we are justified—acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right
standing with God—through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of
reconciliation] to hold and enjoy, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Amp).
2. Righteousness cannot be earned. It is a gift from God that comes to us through faith. When we believe
on Jesus as Savior and Lord, God justifies us. Rom 5:1; Rom 5:17; Rom 10:10
a. Rom 4:22-25—Just before Paul wrote that we are justified (declared righteous) through faith, Paul
explained how Abraham was made righteous. Abraham believed God’s Word (Gen 15:6) and
righteousness was imputed to him. Imputed means counted or considered.
1. Paul explains that this fact about Abraham was written for our sake because, when we believe
that God raised Jesus from the dead, righteousness is imputed or counted to us.
2. Jesus’ resurrection is proof that our sin is paid and we are no longer guilty. When we believe
on Jesus, God can declare us not guilty and impute righteousness to us or count us righteous.
b. But there is more to it. Because we are legally justified according to God’s own Law, He can now
deal with us as though we never sinned. The Cross was a means to an end. It opened the way for
God to do what He always intended—glorify us or make us literal sons and daughters who partake
of His life and Spirit.
3. John 3:3-6—Jesus said that in order to see or enter God’s kingdom, we must be born again. The Greek
word translated again literally means from above—born from above or born of the Spirit.
a. John 1:12-13—But to all who believed him (Jesus) and accepted him, he gave the right to become
children (sons and daughters) of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from
human passion or plan—this rebirth comes from God (NLT).
1. Just as we received life from our parents at conception, we receive life from God when we
believe on Jesus—eternal life.
A. Eternal life is not live forever life. You already had that—no one ceases to exist when
they separate from their body at physical death. You pass into another dimension.
B. Everyone lives forever, either with God or separated from Him. Where you live in the life
after this life depends on how you respond to Jesus in this life.
2. Eternal life is the life in God, the uncreated life of God. When we believe on Jesus His Spirit,
His life comes into us and we are born of God. I John 5:1; I John 5:11-12
b. The Bible uses a number of word pictures to convey spiritual truths and help us understand how
Almighty God interacts with finite people like us. For example, Jesus referred to Himself as a (the)
Vine and to believers branches. This example pictures union and shared life. John 15:5
1. John 3:16—Whosoever believes in Jesus has eternal life. In the original Greek language the
phrase believe in Jesus has the idea of believe into. When we believe on Jesus the Holy Spirit
imparts life to our innermost being and we are united to Jesus through shared life.
2. I Cor 6:17—The person who is united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him (Amp).
Because we are born of God through faith in Christ, God by His Spirit and life is in us and
whatever is in that life is now in us—just as whatever is in a vine is also in the branches through
shared life.
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c. Consequently, when we believe on Jesus, God not only declares us righteous, He imparts His life,
His righteousness to us through the new birth.
1. II Cor 5:21—God made Jesus to be sin (an offering for sin) so that we could be made righteous.
The Greek word translated made means become or cause to be. Note these translations.
A. Christ was innocent of sin, and yet for our sake God made him one with the sinfulness of
men, so that in him we might be made one with the goodness of God Himself (NEB).
B. That we might be changed into the righteousness of God in Christ (Conybeare); so that
through union with Him we may become the Righteousness of God (20th Cent); turned into
the holiness of God (Knox); made good with the goodness of God (J. B. Phillips).
2. Rev 1:5—Washed in the Blood of Christ is another word picture used in Scripture to convey an
important spiritual truth. We have been so thoroughly cleansed (legally) from the guilt of sin
by Christ’ sacrifice that Almighty God can now indwell us, and by His Spirit and life in us, He
can restore us to our created purpose as holy, righteous sons and daughters of God.
4. Rom 5:19—As we stated at the beginning, mankind’s problem is more than what we do. It’s what we
are by birth, our first birth into a fallen race. Through Adam men were made (constituted) sinners. But
through Jesus men are made (constituted) righteous. Our nature is changed through the new birth and
impartation of eternal life.
a. II Cor 5:17-18—Threfore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ, the Messiah, he is (a new creature
altogether,) a new creation; the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away.
Behold, the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ
reconciled us to Himself (received us into His favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) (Amp).
1. The Greek word that is translated new means made new in quality and superior in character as
opposed to new in time. Passed away means to pass from one place or condition to another.
The word translated to reconcile means to change from one condition to another.
2. The idea expressed in II Cor 5:17-21 is a supernatural transformation of unrighteous sinners
into righteous sons and daughters by the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
3. This change in us through the entrance of eternal life, this new birth, is the basis of our identity.
You were a sinner. Now you are a son. You were unrighteous. Now you are righteous.
b. Through the new birth God imparts His life (eternal life) to your innermost being (your spirit) and
you are born of God. Your mind and emotions (soul) and body are not directly affected by this new
birth. Both must be brought under the control of the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
1. I John 3:2—Right now we’re finished works in progress. We’re fully God’s sons and
daughters through faith in Christ, but we’re not yet fully conformed to the image of Christ in
every part of our being.
2. Our experience (the way we live) doesn’t always match our position as holy, righteous sons and
daughters of God. However, God deals with us on the basis of the part that is completed
because He is confident that His plan and purpose will be fully accomplished. Phil 1:6
C. Let’s go back to Rom 8:29-30 and discuss the term glorification. The new birth is the beginning of a process
that will ultimately restore every part of our being to what God always intended—sons and daughters who are
fully glorifying to Him—sons like Jesus.
1. Glorification is the name for this process. To be glorified means to be made alive with eternal life (the
uncreated life of God) in every part of our being.
a. When we believe on Jesus, our innermost being (our spirit) is glorified or made alive with eternal
life. The entrance of this is new life transforms us from sinners into sons and daughters by birth.
b. In connection with the second coming of Jesus and resurrection of the dead, our bodies will glorified
with eternal life. Our bodies will be like Jesus’ resurrected body. Phil 3:20-21
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c. Our mind, emotions, and body are not directly affected or changed by the new birth. Right now, we
must choose to bring them under the control of the Spirit and life of God in us through renewing our
mind. Rom 12:1-2 (lessons for another day)
2. Before we move on we need to make an important point. Sincere Christians are sometimes troubled by
the statement that God wants to glorify us, and they bring up the fact that God doesn’t share His glory
with anyone. How do we reconcile this seeming contradiction?
a. God does indeed make the statement that He will not share His glory with another. When we read
His words in context we find that the Lord uttered those words when Israel was deep in idolatry.
1. God warned them that He won’t share the glory and honor due Him as the Only God with idols.
2. Isa 42:8—I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else. I will not
share my praise with carved idols (NLT).
b. When the Bible speaks of God glorifying men and women it is referring to Him restoring us to our
created position as holy, righteous sons and daughters through Jesus. This is a glorious position.
1. Rom 3:23—For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard (NLT). Jesus died to
open the way for us to be restored to this position of glory.
2. Paul wrote that had Satan realized this would happen, he would not have crucified the Lord of
glory (I Cor 2:8). In verse 7 Paul reveals that “God devised and decreed (this plan) before the
ages for our glorification [that is to lift us into the glory of His presence]” (Amp).
3. Rom 8:30—And those whom He justified He also glorified—raising them to a heavenly dignity
and condition [state of being] (Amp).
4. Heb 2:10—Jesus died to bring God’s sons and daughters to glory through the Cross, to bring all
who put faith in Him back to their created position as sons and daughters of God.
A. v10—It was only right for God—who creates and preserves all things—to make Jesus
perfect through suffering (at the Cross) in order to bring many sons to share his glory. For
Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation (TEV).
B. v11—He makes men pure from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all
have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers (TEV).
3. We were created for a position of glory—sonship and relationship with God. We were created to be
sons and daughters like Jesus, sons and daughters who accurately represent Him.
a. I Pet 2:9—You are…God’s own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful
deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light (Amp).
b. Through the process of glorification made possible because of the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus, we are restored to our created purpose and position.
D. Conclusion: We have more to say next week, but consider this thought as we close. Lessons like this don’t
seem practical in the face of life’s challenges. But many of us struggle with believing that God will help us
in the hard times because of our short coming and failures. However, when you understand the big picture it
gives you confidence which gives you peace of mind—even when you fail. Phil 1:6
1. If God went to these lengths to reconcile you to Himself and open the way for you to be completely
restored to your created purpose, why would He not help you now? Rom 8:32
2. Jesus humbled Himself and came into this world to die for us and lift us back to the purpose for which we
were created. He knows how effective His work of justification and glorification is. Therefore He is
not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. Heb 2:11
3. Heb 4:15-16—And we can come confidently to God who is now our Father to find grace and help in our
time of need. Lots more next week!!
