Glory to God!

Critics will argue, “He took His Son, put Him on a Cross, poured His wrath out on Him, and He’s abusing His Son! Why would God act less loving and kind than you and I would?!”

Jordan explains, “What that reasoning (you know, the ‘God-wouldn’t-bake-His-kid-in-an-oven’ kind of a thing), what that is, is it makes everything about YOU and ME: ‘God wouldn’t treat a person that way!’ It makes it all about how PEOPLE get treated.

“But you see, when you’re talking about ‘recompense’ and ‘vengeance,’ we’re not talking about how people are treated; we’re talking about how God’s been treated! Justice has to do not with whether you’re being treated fairly but is the CREATOR being treated fairly and righteously?!

“I think, ‘Wow, we get so self-oriented that everything is about us and, ‘Is it good for us and are we being treated kindly?’ Well, what about man’s treatment of God? The point is all of that is going to be set straight. And when that happens is when Christ comes back.”

*****

Paul writes in II Thess. 1: 10: “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

Jordan says, “It’s important to see this passage is not talking about OUR glorification. It’s not when He shall come to glorify His saints. It isn’t you that’s being glorified here; it’s Christ. Verse 10, that’s what to be glorified is. It’s to be honored and praised.

“I’ll give an illustration in Galatians 1. Here’s the Apostle Paul when he’s describing his gospel and how his message is unique and distinct from those who were there before him, and he gives as it were a certificate of apostleship.

“He writes in Gal. 1:11-12: [11] But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
[12] For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.’

“He’s going to document and give proof that validates that statement. If you go down through the rest of chapter 1 and then chapter 2, there are at least 14 specific points Paul makes that demonstrate the distinctiveness of his ministry.

One of them, down in verse 21, after he’d been in Arabia and done these things in verses 18-20 (17] Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
[18] Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
[19] But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
[20] Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
[21] Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
[22] And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ
[23] But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
[24] And they glorified God in me.)

“Paul went out among the Gentiles where he’d lived and was unknown by face. They didn’t have enough contact with Paul to really know what was going on with him to know what he was preaching. They just had heard, ‘Well, he used to be persecuting the followers of Christ and now he’s preaching that Jesus is the Christ.’

“Now what did they do? ‘And they glorified God in Paul.’ Paul’s saying, ‘They saw God’s Word working in me and they said, ‘Woo-hoo! Praise the Lord! This is good!’ and they glorified God. They saw that God had changed things and they honored and praised the Lord.

“For God to be glorified in him, that is other people see God’s word working in Paul and that glorifies, or honors, the Lord. Well, that’s what’s going on in II Thess. 1:10.

“The Word of God working in people that believe produces the life of Christ, and the purpose and plan of God working out through them, and when He comes, He’s going to be glorified by being admired in the saints. So again, it isn’t OUR being glorified. It’s HIM being glorified!

“By the way, you notice the parenthesis in verse 10? If you read the verse without the parenthesis, it helps you get the timing of this. It’s not that you believed in that day, it’s that He’s going to be admired IN you in that day.

“In other words, we’re talking about the future exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. When he says ‘because our testimony among you was believed,’ you’re going to get to participate in the exaltation and the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ in the ages to come BECAUSE the testimony of Paul includes us and we believe what Christ through Paul has shown to us.

“Eph. 2:7. That’s how He’s going to be glorified in us and admired in us. We’re going to be set out (one preacher said, ‘We’ll be trophies of His grace’) and people will be able to look at the Body of Christ and be instructed.

“By the way, not just people but the angelic host. Look at Ephesians 3:9. We have a testimony to ‘the principalities and powers in the heavenly places’ about the wisdom of God and they’re going to be able to admire Him and glorify Him when they see the outworking of His wisdom through us. Now that’s a fantastic . . . that’s the issue of glorifying Him in that day!”

*****

“Ephesians 3:20 says, ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’ You see, that’s not just be glorified now but to be glorified in the Body of Christ through all ages, world without end.

"Not just that it happens now, but that it happens forever. And that’s brought fruition when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back, sweeps away His enemies, and establishes His reign in the universe.

“Eph. 1:15. When He’s going to be glorified in us, the glory that He gets is the glory that God the Father determined. There’s this plan that the Father has developed to honor and exalt His Son. When He’s exalted in us, it will be the outworking of the Father of Glories’ plan.

“It’s fascinating to see the titles of God as you go through these things. The God, the Creator, the Head, and the Father may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

“You see, learning what God’s doing is not an issue of just learning a
bunch of doctrine. Somebody told me the other day, ‘Well, were in this predicament and we’re just glad to have the doctrine work.’ Now that’s true, but it’s not just the doctrine working.

“In the Scripture it’s really the word working effectually in you, and when that happens, you know what’s really working in you? Christ is working in you. So when you talk about, ‘Well, it’s the doctrine working,’ remember it’s really the life of Jesus Christ working.

“There’s that personal intimate understanding, and when you come to Ephesians, you’ve come to the place where God says, ‘Come in and let me have access with you; let me bring you into access to understand.’ What’s going on here is the Triune God.”