Beholding His Glory

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We shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is what you think turned the apostles in the people who turn the world upside down. We get a hint in the prologue of John we beheld his glory. No wonder they turn the world upside down.

We beheld his glory.

As a result, the appliances no longer live for themselves.

They had a whole new perspective on life and eternal perspective.

That's what happens to all who are in Christ this week on Renewing Your Mind. We have been pleased error messages from RC scroll through the decades of his ministry. And today we wrap up the week with the powerful proclamation of God's power and glory. Let me read for you from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, then I'm going to turn our attention to the 15th chapter which we have Paul's most extensive treatment of the resurrection of Christ. But not only of his resurrection. But of the implications and consequences of his resurrection for us and so I like to begin at verse 35 verse 35, he says, but someone will say how are the dead raised up and with what body do they come foolish one.

What you sow is not made alive, unless it dies, and what you so you do not. So that body that shall be, but near grain perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as he pleases, and to each seed its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh is one kind of flesh of man, another flesh of animals. Another fish and other birds are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies. The glory of the celestial is one, the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun. Another glory of the moon.

Another glory of the stars for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption that is raised in incorruption sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.

It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body so it is written, the first man Adam became a living being. And the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, spiritual is not first, but the natural and afterward, the spiritual, the first members of the earth made of the dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven, and as was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust and as is the heavenly man, so also those who are heavenly has reborn the image of the man of the dust shall also bear the image of the heavenly man, one of the things I tried to tell my students in the seminary to have them get past whatever inhibitions they have in their educational inquiry is the cliché. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Don't be afraid or embarrassed to ask your questions because the Socrates once declared knowledge begins with the admission of ignorance unless were willing to admit those limits to our knowledge will remain in ignorance forever, so please be bold and ask your question and there is a truth buried in that assurance somewhere there's also alive because ladies and gentlemen would truth be told, there really are some stupid question for Ben when Paul writes to the Corinthians.

He doesn't give them the same pedagogical assurance that I try to give the meister did you look on this section begins, someone will say how are the dead raised up and with what body do they come in.

Paul says who that's a heavy question.

I'm glad you asked that he stepped foolish when I pick excellent that's really a stupid question, but it is a question that all of us ask, from time to time. I wonder don't you wonder what kind of bodies were going to have in glory. I certainly trusted I'm going to have a better one than I have now tell you how these bodies go to see my wife said to me a couple months ago. She said 91 when we were engaged. You were playing baseball, football, basketball, hockey, boxing, she said, and I knew when I married you that you were going to be involved in sports as long as you live, but I never thought it would be sumo wrestling. But when I get that have a number to retire from sumo wrestling. I promise you that. Now in this text that I just read pulses how the dead raised that you know what you sow is not made alive, unless it dies.

Now you can argue with agronomists about whether or not I seed before it germinates actually undergoes Thanatos or death.

But we know that Lisa goes through a metaphorical kind of death when I wanted to grow grass up in Pennsylvania, which is no mean feat and have to prepare the soil Ray could get rid of the rocks and put some fertilizer down and everything, then so the sea then what I had to do.

I did drown that stuff I had to keep putting water on it and water on it so that those seeds in its outer shell.

It's external hard kernel rights so that the life that I wanted could spring forth in what came out was far more lovely than the sea, that I threw around the yard really bad thing is that an have to cut the seed every week like it did the grass after germinated in this analogy that Paul uses here, was used by Jesus himself when he talked about being the bread of life that that REIT cannot come forth, until the seed goes into the dirt and dies, and the idea is we see all over nature. The metamorphosis that takes place between the K and recovery, and Paul as well as the ancient Greeks had this in common, they say, look around you see life in all kinds of different forms microbes throw live ones sell old creatures that are living that have no circulatory system, no brain waves no heartbeat but they're still alive you seen dogs and cats that aren't functioning the way we are there not the same kind of beings that we are thing of life.

You see, canaries, caterpillars, butterfly, you see myriads and myriads of different kinds of living things. Why should we think that in this vast universe in which we live the highest possible form of life is the one you and I experience this morning.

Paul is saying wait a minute there something more here.

But the great barrier to that something more. The great barrier to the hope that was expressed by Job in antiquity when he raised the question if a man die, will he live again. The barrier to that hope is the last enemy which is death.

So Paul speaks here that all flesh is not the same flesh. One kind of flesh of men motor flesh ran was another fish and other birds celestial bodies terrestrial bodies is something going on here that I'm not able to understand is in the New Testament Greek.

We have two different words that sometimes are translated by body or flesh. There's the word soma and you understood that word you hear of psychosomatic illnesses. Sue K refers to the inner man the psychological or mental dimension are solely part of us wear because we have struggles within ourselves and the interior chambers of our soul. They manifest themselves in the real illnesses that afflict the body.

Psychosomatic illnesses are not illnesses there dust in your mind the real illnesses that are caused by disruptions in the mind. But anyway we use that word somatic from the Greek soma which means body, but we also have the word Starks, here's where it gets complicated because when the Bible describes our fallen, sinful condition. It uses the term socks not be so nice if I could say every time the Bible uses soma. It refers to our physical bodies and every time it uses the term Starks refers to our sinful condition of corruption forcefully done work that way I'm giving this event just about every time you see Starks in contrast to Newmark or spirit, then you have a conflict between the old man, the fallen, corrupt person without the regenerating influence of God the Holy Spirit and the new mob which refers to the new condition. The new man that you can say, but there are times when Starks and soma are used virtually interchangeably, and that's what happens here in first truth is for think so bottom line is running a lot healthier out of the language while Paul says his there different kinds of bodies, different kinds of corporeal substances that are alive, but he does say that when we die we were raised in a different kind of body a resurrected body which Paul uses the term here. A spiritual body. Now asked me ask our CRC. What is a spiritual body. I have no earthly idea because is not an earthly idea. I don't know what a spiritual body looks like.

I know it's going to be like the resurrected and glorified body of Jesus, and this can be much better than the body. We have now what Paul was laboring here is that it's going to be different from what we currently have and it's going to be better than what we currently have raised in on her.

Though sown in this sown in corruption raised in incorruption sown in weakness raised in power. I can't wait for that but the glorious future promise of our resurrection which in the apostles Creed is confessed by the term resurrects the owner's corners. I believe in the resurrection of the body that is not an affirmation of the resurrection of Christ. It is an affirmation of the result of the resurrection of Christ because here's what happens when you go earlier into this text that I've just been reading and quickly do it if I can verse 20 but now Christ is risen from the dead. And here's the Christian hope has become the firstfruits of those who fallen asleep since by one man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead is an animal, but even so in Christ also be made alive.

But each one of his own order Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Christ's at the coming because beloved. What happened was Jesus crushed the head of the serpent and when he did that he conquered death, we still have to die but the death that I await in this mortal coil is nothing like what Jesus based in Gethsemane, because when Jesus face death. It still had this thing. It still had the curse. It still had the power of hell associated with it. But when Christ crushed the head of the serpent. He removed this thing and became the firstfruits of those who were raised from the dead and because Christ is risen, we have nothing to fear from death off. I can just conclude by turning your attention to one of my favorite texts in first John chapter 3 verse one behold what manner of love is this, that the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God and hear something we take for granted.

Sure, we can say our father. Oh sure, we can pray to God. Father God, and that's something we just take for granted but by the time John writes his first letter he still staggering in apostolic astonishment that he would have the unspeakable privilege of calling God father's analysis I can get over it that we should be called the children of God, that's no big deal to you because you were taught when you were in first grade.

They were all God's children and since everybody is a child of God. Your syllogism went like this, everybody is a child of God I am a body. Therefore, I'm a child of God. No big deal is a big deal to the apostles was a big deal to Jesus and should be a big deal to the church because John is still expressing amazement that we should be called the children gone. Then he goes on with his therefore the world doesn't know us, because didn't know him. But, beloved, now would now but later, now we are the children of God, and it is not yet been revealed what we shall be. Maybe John hadn't talked to Paul. Maybe John had read first Corinthians 15, but I suspect he did and what he was saying is it with all the what we have an adverse credit for think we still have that dark class that Paul was talking about two chapters earlier. Beloved, we don't know yet what we shall be, what do we know what will. Glory be like we know the one he's revealed, we shall be like him, but he can be like in heaven just like Jesus. The glorified humanity of Jesus is what were going to be like, we shall be like him. John says, because we shall see him as he is when you see him as he is what you think turned the apostles in the people who turn the world upside down. We get a hint in the prologue to John we beheld his glory. No wonder they turned the world upside down.

John and Peter could say we were there on the Mount of Transfiguration when the deities shown through burst the bonds of the physical nature of Christ for the divine shown through the human and they saw his glory say the glory of the only begotten of the father were to be like him, because we shall see him as he is real quick. I've often wondered I've been talk about it at leaner conferences what the sequences will we be like him, because we will see him as he is, or will we see him as he is because we are like I don't know the answer that I think I know the answer.

Let's look for minute of those two options. Why can't we see the face of God right now. Why do we serve an invisible God, why is it that God says Moses I'll let my backward parts go past you and I'll let you get a backward glance of my glory.

But my face shall not be seen is because it's under authorize go to the Beatitudes. Some people are promised to be filled who the ones who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Some people are promised that they will be comforted. Some people are promised that they will be called the sons of God will who are promised the beatific vision. Who are those who are promised that they will see God blessed our the pure in heart for they shall see God what is Italian, but a necessary condition for viewing God as he is for seeing Christ in his radiant glory is the purification of the heart. It's not because we don't have eyes that are good enough to see him.

The problem is there something wrong with our heart and it's not until the heart is sanctified, it is not until we are completely purified in that last step of the way of salvation are glorification that once we are made like Kim likes, we will know the supreme blessedness. The supreme beatitude. We will experience first-hand the beatific vision we will look straight into the face of God.

We will behold his glory because the impediments of the vision of God will be removed will be purified, that we might see him as he is, when you asked me what RC if he's invisible how carefully have spiritual bodies.

How in the world are we gonna be able to see one who is invisible. Why we always going to be destined even in heaven to look at some kind of outward see economy some visible manifestation of the invisible God, some burning bush may that be cool enough I'd be happy enough to be satisfied with a burning bush and be satisfied with a Shekinah club that would turn me on. For return, but were promised more than that burning bush more than the pillar of cloud were promised agree to see him as he is on hike. I can't fathom I know what this was coming, like, but I'm not adverse to trying it out, and that remains for us the highest hope of glory. That however we are raised.

It's not going to be flesh and blood like it now is there's can be discontinuity between our present bodies and our future glorified bodies, but is not radical discontinuity. There also be some kind of continuity of personal existence between the bodies were not just when Jesus when he one in the tomb. He didn't shed that body and come out with a different one. The body that he took in the tomb was transformed by the energy of God the Holy Spirit. It was glorified it was chain and in that change. It was not a once for all experience were God said I'm going to do this for my son and this is the last time ever is going to happen no with that transformation with the vindication of his son and his perfection with the triumph of Christ from the tomb. God/the heel of Satan and Jesus walks out of the tomb, because death couldn't hold it and it kills me that people think the resurrection of Christ is impossible, no, no, no, no, not the continued death of Christ was impossible was not possible for death.

With all of its power to hold that one who can help me there forever, but couldn't hold Jesus. And when Jesus walked out of the tomb, he said, take that death you had it because not only have I be to for myself for all who call upon my name because I'm the firstborn of many that will be glory glory for you.

Glory from a glory that Dr. RC Sproul knows well today. You're listening to Renewing Your Mind on this Friday possibly web. Thank you for being with us and all week. We have been pleased to error a series of messages that have featured RC's teaching through the decades. RC was a pastor, a theologian and trusted teacher, but for those of us who had the privilege of knowing him meant working with him. We also saw that he was a faithful husband, a loving father and a kind and loyal friend. All that comes through in the pages of the biography that Dr. Steven Nichols is written and just released it's titled RC Sproul, a life we like for you to have a copy of this beautifully written hardbound biography when you give a donation of any amount to look at her ministries. We will send it to you can contact us by phone at 800-435-4343. You can also give your gift and make your request online@renewingyourmind.org today is the last they were making this offer available so I hope you'll contact us right away again. The title is RC Sproul, a life and it's yours for your donation of any about our number again is 800-435-4343 will in his 50 years of ministry. RC had the opportunity to teach through many books of the Bible. But there was one series that laid the foundation for the study of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation is called dust to glory, getting Monday, we will share several messages from the Old Testament portion of that series. So we hope you'll join us. Then for Renewing Your Mind