TIMELESS SALVATION Past-Present-Future
Lesson 4: Glorification
This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide
1. LEADER PREPARATION
LESSON OVERVIEW Glorification is the moment when Christ returns. Those Christians who are already dead will rise from the “dust,” and Christians still alive will meet Jesus face-to-face. We all will see Jesus and will join him in his glory. In the moment that Christ appears, all sin and any remnant of sin will cease to exist. It will be gone—we’ll never think of it again. In that moment, we will see God’s glory.
LESSON OBJECTIVES 1. WHAT: We can look forward to the moment when we see Jesus face-to-face—a moment referred to in Christian doctrine as glorification. 2. WHY: Everything we go through in the process of spiritual growth, from justification to regeneration to sanctification, will be perfected by the mere presence of Jesus—at that moment, it’s all about eternity. 3. HOW: The problems, challenges, and struggles that teenagers face will one day pass—they can experience freedom now, but they will experience an even greater freedom once in heaven with Jesus for eternity.
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE 1 John 3:1-3
SECONDARY SCRIPTURES 1 Corinthians 15:50-55; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
TEACHING PREP Use this short overview to prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to convey this information word-for-word with your group, you’ll want to absorb it as you prepare to lead.
Read 1 John 3:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-55.
Wayne Grudem, in his book Bible Doctrine, defines glorification this way: “Glorification is the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, and reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like his own.”
When our process of sanctification is complete, we will be delivered from all presence of sin and into the presence of Jesus for eternity. In 1 John 3, we see that the trigger to glorification is when we see Jesus. When he appears in “an instant” and “we see him as he really is,” everything that was temporal about us will become eternal—including our physical bodies.
Those Christians who are already dead will rise from the “dust” and will be reunited with their souls. (Be ready for your students to bring up zombies and the apocalypse! Entertain those comments briefly, but bring it back to Jesus.) Christians still alive will meet Jesus face-to-face. We all will see Jesus and will join him in his glory! This is glorification!
In 1 Corinthians 15, we find a detailed account of glorification. When Christ returns he will give us new resurrection bodies to be like his resurrection body. For all of eternity, we will live in bodies that have all the qualities God created us to have. The Bible says that our bodies will be “imperishable” and “eternal.” There will be no disease or other physical challenges with our bodies; they will truly be set up for eternity.
What implications does the doctrine of glorification have on the way we live today? We can gain confidence about what’s going to happen when we see Jesus in eternity. We also can see the world with “eternity” in mind. The problems, the challenges, the struggles—one day these will all pass. We can experience freedom now, but we will experience an even greater freedom when we’re in heaven with Jesus for eternity. We can have one eye on eternity and one eye on today. We can live both for the glory of God!
What is the “glory of God?” That’s when God’s holiness is put on display. God’s holiness is what makes him “other.” God is separate from us. That’s the definition of “holy.” Isaiah 6:3 says this: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” When the holiness of God fills up the earth for all to see, it’s called glory. God’s beauty is about his glory. God’s infinite worth is about his glory. God’s glory is the experience of his greatness.
One thing worth mentioning to your students is that glorification is the end point of all the other church words we’ve been studying in this series: justification, regeneration, and sanctification.
THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional]
Texts or Tweets Send one or both of these messages to your students prior to your meeting. As with the rest of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry.
The word “glory” has a meaning you’ll never guess—come find out when we gather this week!
What will it be like to someday see Jesus face-to-face? See you tonight for a great time together!
Parent Email Send this email to parents following the lesson to encourage them to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and customize the email to fit your ministry needs.
Dear parents,
We’ve wrapped up our series called “Timeless.” All of our conversations have provided deeper insights into Bible doctrine that can help our teenagers experience greater freedom as they follow Jesus.
This final lesson focused on the doctrine of glorification. We studied passages from 1 John 3 and 1 Corinthians 15 to see how glorification is the moment when Christ returns. Those Christians who are already dead will rise from the “dust,” and Christians still alive will meet
Jesus face-to-face. We all will see Jesus and will join him in his glory. In the moment that Christ appears, all sin and any remnant of sin will cease to exist. It will be gone—we’ll never think of it again. In that moment, we will see God’s glory.
Look for ways to keep the conversation going at home this week. Here are some questions that might help: If you spend time thinking about the day you’ll see Jesus face-to-face, how might that affect the way you live your daily life here on earth? How would your life change, if at all, if you never again encountered anything sinful? Does knowing that you can someday be free from the very presence of sin make it easier to face struggles or dark moments in your life right now? Why or why not? When you honor Jesus while still living in this sin-filled world, you bring him glory— what are some ways you honor him in your everyday life?
Thanks for your continued prayers for our students and our ministry. Have an awesome week!
TIMELESS PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE
Lesson 4: Glorification
2. LESSON GUIDE
GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] Make sure students have paper and pens or pencils for the opening activity.
Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, have students form groups of three or four, and then SAY SOMETHING LIKE:
Imagine that you’re a TV news reporter who just got handed the most amazing assignment ever: the chance to interview Jesus face-to-face. As a group, come up with five specific questions you would want to ask him. Be prepared to share your group’s questions and why you’d want to ask them. You’ll have five minutes to create your list.
After about five minutes, bring everyone back together and ask each group to share two or three of their questions—and why they’d want Jesus to answer those questions. Then move forward with group discussion.
ASK: Of all the questions you just heard, which one was most surprising or unexpected? Why? What made this activity easier than you expected or harder than you expected? Imagine the moment when you’ll first see Jesus in heaven face-to-face—which of our questions would you ask him, or would you ask him something else? Explain.
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Today we’re going to talk about that amazing moment when we will see Jesus face-to-face. I don’t know how much you’ve thought about that moment before our activity, but those of us who are followers of Jesus will someday experience it. As we talk together and read our Bibles, I think we’ll all realize that whatever we imagine that moment to be like, we’re not even close to how wonderful it will truly be!
TEACHING POINTS Use the Teaching Points to help students capture the essence of each lesson with more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. Remember: All throughout these lessons, it’s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you use and (2) the wording of the main points— keep ours, or change the wording to make it clearer for your audience.
Read 1 John 3:1-3 together as a group. Because this passage is so brief, consider having students read the verses several times, from different translations of the Bible.
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Glorification is the moment when Christ returns. Those Christians who are already dead will rise from the “dust” and will be reunited with their souls. Christians still alive will meet Jesus face-to-face. We all will see Jesus and will join him in his glory. In the moment that Christ appears, all sin and any remnant of sin will cease to exist. It will be gone—you’ll never think of it again. In that moment, we will see God’s glory!
1. When glorification happens, we will see Jesus
ASK: Have you ever thought about the moment that you first see Jesus with your eyes? What do you expect to think and feel at that moment? Explain what verse 2 means, relative to the moment that we see Jesus. What do you think it means to see Jesus “as he really is”? Read Philippians 3:20-21 for some extra insight. What do you think of when people talk about the “glory of God”? If you spend time thinking about the day you’ll see Jesus face-to-face, how might that affect the way you live your daily life here on earth?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Think of your current worries and struggles. Think of what’s super- important in your life right now. Now fast-forward to the experience of glorification—will anything else matter when you first see Jesus? No way! The experience of “glorification” is triggered by the simplicity of just seeing him. Everything you go through in the process of spiritual growth—from justification to regeneration to sanctification—will be perfected by the mere presence of Jesus. At that moment, it’s all about eternity.
2. When glorification happens, we will be completely free from the presence of sin
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: When glorification happens, followers of Jesus will personally be perfect and free from all sin. Here on earth, we can receive salvation from the penalty of sin because of Jesus’ work on the cross. We’ve been saved from the power of sin when we accept the gift of forgiveness he offers. But with glorification, we will be saved from the very presence of sin.
ASK: How would your life change, if at all, if you never again encountered anything sinful? Does knowing that you can someday be free from the very presence of sin make it easier to face struggles or dark moments in your life right now? Why or why not? When you honor Jesus while still living in this sin-filled world, you bring him glory— what are some ways you honor him in your everyday life?
3. When glorification happens, we’ll have “resurrection bodies”
ASK: Why are many of us so dissatisfied with our human bodies? Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-55. Why will followers of Jesus get new bodies? Does this passage of Scripture excite you or intimidate you? Why? Imagine what it will be like to experience true and total freedom in your resurrection body—when have you felt something like this?
SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Our “resurrection bodies” will be forever and eternal. The Bible says they will be “imperishable.” They will not get old or weak or diseased. They will be raised “in power” and “glory.” They will be “spiritual,” in step with the Holy Spirit.
EXTRA DISCUSSION [optional] Ask students to form groups of two or three for these questions.
ASK: Compare 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. What is Paul revealing in these passages about the future? Why is it important for followers of Jesus to know and understand a big church word like glorification?
Bring everyone back together, and ask for volunteers to share answers to the previous questions, as time permits.
LIVING IT OUT ASK: What part of today’s conversation has had the biggest impact on you, and why? What are specific and tangible ways you can express thanks to God for all he has done in your life—and all he wants to continue doing? People who aren’t followers of Jesus will experience eternal separation from God— they won’t have that face-to-face experience of seeing Jesus in heaven. How does that reality impact the way you interact with people who aren’t Christ-followers yet? In the spirit of giving “glory” to God, where in your life do you need Jesus’ help to grow? Talk honestly to your friends about these issues. Get them out in the open and confess. This will help you experience true freedom in Christ.
SUMMARY Provide a quick summary or take-home challenge based on (1) this lesson’s content, (2) the dialogue that took place today, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching and discussion time.
FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]
Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the Scripture below.
“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2).