Bodies of Glory
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Paul offers words of hope concerning the ultimate destination of the "commonwealth" of heaven.
Text: Phil. 3:20-21
Date: 12/15/2024, the Evening service.
Series: "Evenfall; Sunday Evening Worship" Part 27
Description:
Paul continues to encourage the saints in Philippi to walk in a way worthy of the Gospel. In sharp distinction from those "of the world" who have infiltrated the church, Paul makes it clear that the true believers in Philippi have a radically different citizenship. They are a "colony of heaven" in the midst of a fallen world. He further encourages them by revealing that when the Lord returns not only will He save them from this world, but their resurrected bodies will be fashioned after His own glorified body. This means a reuniting of the spirit with bodies that have been "reconstructed" to be the perfect bodies for an eternity of worship in the "commonwealth" of heaven. So even though the trials in this world might mean suffering-- the Christian hope is solidly built on the promises of God, that our citizenship is in heaven where we will live forever with Christ in our bodies of glory.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Phil. 3:20-21.
A. Context
B. A new home with glorified bodies.
1. The hope of every Christian, vs. 20.
a. Citizens of heaven, Phil. 3:18-19.
i. Looking at the words.
1) The pronoun of emphasis.
2) The expanded meaning of citizenship.
ii. The commonwealth of heaven, John 1:12-13; Heb. 11:10,13; Gal. 4:26; 1Pet. 2:11.
b. Focused on the Second Coming.
i. Probing the meaning of "Savior", Heb. 9:26, 10:10.
ii. Another reference to Rome, Isa. 35:3-4.
iii. Yearning for a better home, Rom. 8:19.
1) An amazing image, John 17:15-16.
2) Leaving the sewer forever, Phil. 1:23-34.
2. The future of every Christian, vs. 21.
a. The transformation of our bodies.
i. Looking at the words, Rom. 6:6, 7:24,25.
ii. The restructuring of our bodies, Luke 24:31,36-37,42-43; John 20:19.
iii. Out of the sewer, Rom. 7:5; 1Cor. 6:19, 15:49.
b. The power of divinity.
i. The power to subjugate, Phil. 2:9-11.
ii. The power to re-create, Rom. 1:4; John 1:2-3.
iii. The power to destroy, 1Cor. 15:24-28.
III. Conclusion
