Lasting Glory - Part 1

WELCOME

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.”— Romans 11:36

All things are for God, through God, and to God; that list is comprehensive. You, your family, your coaching, sports, economics, flowers, trees, salvation, the past, the present, and the future. Paul’s conclusion considering that reality? “To him be the glory forever.” Consider who God is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do. Our response now and forever will be to give Him glory. As we discussed in our first lesson, that could include what we usually would consider “worship,” music and singing, but it also includes much more than that, even our coaching. We give God glory now in all we do, and that’s what we will be doing for eternity. That eternal perspective is what keeps us pointed in the right direction in the present, especially during the hardships we face on this side of Kingdom Come.

WORKOUT

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

As we talk about beauty, righteousness, peace, and glory, one could ask, “What about all the sufferings, the hardships, the destruction we encounter both personally and corporately?” The tension between these dual experiences of salvation, godly community, victory, and blessing while simultaneously experiencing hardships is what theologians call “the already-not-yet” of God’s Kingdom. In the work of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit, God’s Kingdom has arrived; however, it has not arrived in its fullness.

20th-century theologian Oscar Cullman used an analogy from WWII to explain the concept. Once Allied troops successfully landed in Europe on D-Day, even the Axis powers knew the Allies would have final victory; it was only a matter of time and opportunity. Almost a year later, the war finally ends for good. In the same way, God’s Kingdom has successfully established a presence on earth in this age. Final victory is assured, but that final victory is not here yet. One day, there will be a new Heaven and new earth where God again dwells with His people, but we’re not there yet.

• Where have you seen the tension between our hope in Christ and the present sufferings of this age?
• How would you describe the “already-not-yet” of God’s Kingdom in your own words?

Even as we face trials and hardships, these in no way diminish God’s glory or our experience of it. As Paul says so well, “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable weight of glory” (v. 17). In God’s goodness and power, in some mysterious way, even the hardships and sufferings of this age are working toward a future, eternal glory for us to experience and enjoy. In a similar line of thought in Romans 8, Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (v. 18). He’s talking about Kingdom come, about a new Heaven and new earth, about our resurrected, physical, and glorified bodies. This hope is the fuel that helps us keep on.

• What are some of the hardships and trials you are facing right now?
• What do you think Paul means when he says that our current hardships are producing glory for us in the future? What might that look like?

WRAP-UP

While life in this age is full of beauty and victory, it also includes ugliness and heartaches that can test us to the point of wanting to quit. Just as we admonish our competitors to dig deep and not quit when things are hard, so too should we admonish each other to do the same in God’s Kingdom. We dig deep into the well of God’s provision of strength, empowerment, and hope to keep on, to not give up.

Lasting Glory: God’s glory lasts forever, and through our faith in Christ, we will experience His glory forever.