The Journey of Salvation - Glorified
Notes
Transcript
The triumphal entry
The triumphal entry
A great multitude gather around the east gate of Jerusalem, called ‘The Golden Gate’ which leads into Herod’s temple. Here they await the King of Israel to arrive on a donkey.
The multitudes brought with them palm trees and their garments and clothes to lay before the King.
The significance to the laying of palm branches signified victory, it also symbolised goodness, well-being, grandeur, and steadfastness. This ceremony of laying of palm branches can only be found in the book of Maccabees, an apocryphal book where Simon and Judas Maccabeus defeated the Greeks and established the Hasmonean dynasty.
The garments or clothes was to express homage to royalty, they didn’t take their clothes off and bowed before the King naked. But it was their outer garments that they laid before the King. This expressed who ever they were meant nothing before the worthy King that is to take His place on the throne.
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna in the highest!
Here, Jesus arrives riding on a donkey with His disciples beside Him as the multitudes cried out:
The New King James Version Chapter 12
Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
The King of Israel!”
They continued to shout out:
The New King James Version Chapter 21
Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
Hosanna in the highest!”
While others cried out:
The New King James Version Chapter 19
Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna! Does anyone know what this means?In the Hebrew הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא (Hoshiah na) meant ‘save now’. The Jews were quoting from Psalms 118:25-26
25 Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
To the Jews, they believed that Jesus was going to save them from the tyranny of the Romans. He was the Messiah that was to remove their enemies and restore the glory of Jerusalem making the beautiful city the centre of the world.
If they had read the prophesy correctly, there wouldn’t have been great zeal or praises in welcoming the Lord, but there would have been great distress and cries knowing that God has come to lay down His life for our sins.
It was in this crowd that certain Greeks who came to worship at the feast who spoke to Philip who wanted to see Jesus, and then Philip went to Andrew and they both went to Jesus.
Enter into His glory...
Enter into His glory...
In John 12:23-29, Jesus reveals to them what is to happen to Him in the next coming hours.
23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!
28 Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.”
29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
23 Tetapi Yesus menjawab mereka, kata-Nya: "Telah tiba saatnya Anak Manusia dimuliakan.
24 Aku berkata kepadamu: Sesungguhnya jikalau biji gandum tidak jatuh ke dalam tanah dan mati, ia tetap satu biji saja; tetapi jika ia mati, ia akan menghasilkan banyak buah.
25 Barangsiapa mencintai nyawanya, ia akan kehilangan nyawanya, tetapi barangsiapa tidak mencintai nyawanya di dunia ini, ia akan memeliharanya untuk hidup yang kekal.
26 Barangsiapa melayani Aku, ia harus mengikut Aku dan di mana Aku berada, di situpun pelayan-Ku akan berada. Barangsiapa melayani Aku, ia akan dihormati Bapa.
27 Sekarang jiwa-Ku terharu dan apakah yang akan Kukatakan? Bapa, selamatkanlah Aku dari saat ini? Tidak, sebab untuk itulah Aku datang ke dalam saat ini.
28 Bapa, muliakanlah nama-Mu!" Maka terdengarlah suara dari sorga: "Aku telah memuliakan-Nya, dan Aku akan memuliakan-Nya lagi!"
29 Orang banyak yang berdiri di situ dan mendengarkannya berkata, bahwa itu bunyi guntur. Ada pula yang berkata: "Seorang malaikat telah berbicara dengan Dia."
30 Jawab Yesus: "Suara itu telah terdengar bukan oleh karena Aku, melainkan oleh karena kamu.
31 Sekarang berlangsung penghakiman atas dunia ini: sekarang juga penguasa dunia ini akan dilemparkan ke luar;
32 dan Aku, apabila Aku ditinggikan dari bumi, Aku akan menarik semua orang datang kepada-Ku."
33 Ini dikatakan-Nya untuk menyatakan bagaimana caranya Ia akan mati.
34 Lalu jawab orang banyak itu: "Kami telah mendengar dari hukum Taurat, bahwa Mesias tetap hidup selama-lamanya; bagaimana mungkin Engkau mengatakan, bahwa Anak Manusia harus ditinggikan? Siapakah Anak Manusia itu?"
35 Kata Yesus kepada mereka: "Hanya sedikit waktu lagi terang ada di antara kamu. Selama terang itu ada padamu, percayalah kepadanya, supaya kegelapan jangan menguasai kamu; barangsiapa berjalan dalam kegelapan, ia tidak tahu ke mana ia pergi.
36 Percayalah kepada terang itu, selama terang itu ada padamu, supaya kamu menjadi anak-anak terang." Sesudah berkata demikian, Yesus pergi bersembunyi dari antara mereka.
37 Dan meskipun Yesus mengadakan begitu banyak mujizat di depan mata mereka, namun mereka tidak percaya kepada-Nya,
38 supaya genaplah firman yang disampaikan oleh nabi Yesaya: "Tuhan, siapakah yang percaya kepada pemberitaan kami? Dan kepada siapakah tangan kekuasaan Tuhan dinyatakan?"
39 Karena itu mereka tidak dapat percaya, sebab Yesaya telah berkata juga:
Now the time has come...
Now the time has come...
Glorification is a Bible teaching that holds profound significance to all Christians and is the final stage on our journey of salvation. In the past two weeks, we have gone through ‘justification’ and that is being made just before God, and then we come to ‘sanctification’ and that is being made and set apart to be holy.
Glorification is the divine act of making something better or more important that it actually is. It encompasses praise, honour and elevation of someone to a higher status.
Notice with me what Jesus says in John 12:23
23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.
23 Tetapi Yesus menjawab mereka, kata-Nya: "Telah tiba saatnya Anak Manusia dimuliakan.
So the question we should be asking, what was to happen to Jesus in the next few hours?
We sadly know that Jesus was to be crucified and die, He shed His blood for the remission of our sins, He gave Himself willingly for our punishment that we can live justified and sanctified through Him.
Jesus is glorified
Jesus is glorified
But, was Jesus glorified? How was Jesus praised, honoured, or elevated to a higher status?
Paul says:
9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.
9 Tetapi Dia, yang untuk waktu yang singkat dibuat sedikit lebih rendah dari pada malaikat-malaikat, yaitu Yesus, kita lihat, yang oleh karena penderitaan maut, dimahkotai dengan kemuliaan dan hormat, supaya oleh kasih karunia Allah Ia mengalami maut bagi semua manusia.
Peter also adds:
19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.
21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
19 melainkan dengan darah yang mahal, yaitu darah Kristus yang sama seperti darah anak domba yang tak bernoda dan tak bercacat.
20 Ia telah dipilih sebelum dunia dijadikan, tetapi karena kamu baru menyatakan diri-Nya pada zaman akhir.
21 Oleh Dialah kamu percaya kepada Allah, yang telah membangkitkan Dia dari antara orang mati dan yang telah memuliakan-Nya, sehingga imanmu dan pengharapanmu tertuju kepada Allah.
Finally, Paul says:
16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
16 Dan sesungguhnya agunglah rahasia ibadah kita: "Dia, yang telah menyatakan diri-Nya dalam rupa manusia, dibenarkan dalam Roh; yang menampakkan diri-Nya kepada malaikat-malaikat, diberitakan di antara bangsa-bangsa yang tidak mengenal Allah; yang dipercayai di dalam dunia, diangkat dalam kemuliaan."
It is here that through Jesus’ faith in the Father and through the ordeal of the cross that He was glorified. Through His sacrifice He was praised, honoured and elevated to a high position.
What is Glorification for us?
What is Glorification for us?
Glorification put simply is the gracious gift that we receive at the end of our journey of salvation and it is only through Jesus that we can receive this glorious gift.
The Bible says in Philippians 3:20-21
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
20 Karena kewargaan kita adalah di dalam sorga, dan dari situ juga kita menantikan Tuhan Yesus Kristus sebagai Juruselamat,
21 yang akan mengubah tubuh kita yang hina ini, sehingga serupa dengan tubuh-Nya yang mulia, menurut kuasa-Nya yang dapat menaklukkan segala sesuatu kepada diri-Nya.
John states:
2 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.
2 Saudara-saudaraku yang kekasih, sekarang kita adalah anak-anak Allah, tetapi belum nyata apa keadaan kita kelak; akan tetapi kita tahu, bahwa apabila Kristus menyatakan diri-Nya, kita akan menjadi sama seperti Dia, sebab kita akan melihat Dia dalam keadaan-Nya yang sebenarnya.
Finally Paul says:
4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
4 Apabila Kristus, yang adalah hidup kita, menyatakan diri kelak, kamupun akan menyatakan diri bersama dengan Dia dalam kemuliaan.
It’s only in Jesus we can receive this reward of salvation as Peter puts it:
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
12 Dan keselamatan tidak ada di dalam siapapun juga selain di dalam Dia, sebab di bawah kolong langit ini tidak ada nama lain yang diberikan kepada manusia yang olehnya kita dapat diselamatkan."
Nothing can save us but Jesus
Nothing can save us but Jesus
My friends, again and I can’t stress this enough, there is nothing in out ability or power that can save us. We can be good people and we can do a lot of good works but that won’t save us!
We live in a world where we’ve been taught that all the merits and hard work would make us a good person, but that means nothing to the Lord.
Faith in Jesus is what saves us, we’re justified in Jesus, we’re sanctified in Jesus and we will be glorified in Jesus when He returns again. Jesus is the way of salvation for He is the Way, the Truth, and He is the Life.
7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.
9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
7 Maka kata Yesus sekali lagi: "Aku berkata kepadamu, sesungguhnya Akulah pintu ke domba-domba itu.
8 Semua orang yang datang sebelum Aku, adalah pencuri dan perampok, dan domba-domba itu tidak mendengarkan mereka.
9 Akulah pintu; barangsiapa masuk melalui Aku, ia akan selamat dan ia akan masuk dan keluar dan menemukan padang rumput.
10 Pencuri datang hanya untuk mencuri dan membunuh dan membinasakan; Aku datang, supaya mereka mempunyai hidup, dan mempunyainya dalam segala kelimpahan.
The marathon runners
The marathon runners
Paul Tergat, a Kenyan marathon runner broke the world record in the Berlin Marathon in September 2003, Tergat completed the marathon in 2 hours and close to 5 minutes.
This was a great feat for all humankind at the time as Tergat showed that humanity has the ability to run and complete 42.19km in a little over 2 hours.
However, Tergat said:
“I believe records are set to be broken, and to fall lower is possible. But what remains impossible is running a marathon under 2 hours.” - Paul Tergat
This led to many marathon runners trying to prove him wrong and push the limits of their bodies to complete a marathon in under 2 hours.
Eliud Kipchoge
Eliud Kipchoge
In October 2019, the Ineos 1:59 challenge was held in Vienna, Austria the marathon length was 42.19km, however, this was no ordinary marathon. There was only one competitor that this event was specifically created for.
His name is Eliud Kipchoge, another Kenyan marathon runner, and he completed the Ineos 1:59 challenge marathon in a time of 1:59:40 breaking the record and completing a marathon in under 2 hours.
Sadly, even though Kipchoge beat the odds, his record time was not recognised by World Athletics due to the fact that Kipchoge had 41 running pacemakers, had his drinks delivered to him by bicycle and the lack of open competition.
However, Kipchoge would continue to hold the world record in September 2018 and 2022 finishing the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours and 1 minute, until recently when Kelvin Kiptum beat his record in October 2023 at the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2 hours and 35 seconds.
The satisfaction of winning
The satisfaction of winning
But it is amazing feeling when we work hard and receive the prize of our efforts. That satisfaction and joy we receive when we have completed something and gone beyond our limitations.
Paul says:
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!
25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
24 Tidak tahukah kamu, bahwa dalam gelanggang pertandingan semua peserta turut berlari, tetapi bahwa hanya satu orang saja yang mendapat hadiah? Karena itu larilah begitu rupa, sehingga kamu memperolehnya!
25 Tiap-tiap orang yang turut mengambil bagian dalam pertandingan, menguasai dirinya dalam segala hal. Mereka berbuat demikian untuk memperoleh suatu mahkota yang fana, tetapi kita untuk memperoleh suatu mahkota yang abadi.
26 Sebab itu aku tidak berlari tanpa tujuan dan aku bukan petinju yang sembarangan saja memukul.
27 Tetapi aku melatih tubuhku dan menguasainya seluruhnya, supaya sesudah memberitakan Injil kepada orang lain, jangan aku sendiri ditolak.
My friends, as I mentioned last week, we are all in a journey to make it to the top of the hill. We’re making our way up towards Jesus our goal and prize.
Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit we are training ourselves and preparing ourselves for eternity. We are disciplining our faith so we can achieve the ultimate prize and to be glorified in Jesus when He returns again.
Easter is a weekend not about long weekends and holidays, but a reminder for what Jesus did that we may obtain salvation in Him.
And as we draw ever closer to our Lord Jesus, we go further away from the world, and because of our faith the world hates us. Soon enough the there will be a clear distinction of those who follow Jesus and those that follow the world.
You know what’s the right choice, look to Jesus and look to Him as your reward and when the world comes crushing down on you, cry out ‘Hosanna’ to Jesus and He will deliver you.
‘Hosanna in the highest’.