<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Romans 5;1&amp;2<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp;Through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.</b></div><div><br></div><div>What exactly is <i>“the glory of God”?</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>We think of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, radiant in the splendor of bright light emanating from His face and body. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Or perhaps for some, <i>“the glory of God” </i>is adulation, as received from a&nbsp;multitude of angels, suspended in the sky&nbsp;over the shepherds who sang, <i>“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among men with whom he is pleased!” &nbsp;</i>(Luke 2;14)</div><div><br></div><div>But, the best understanding of what it means to have the hope, <i>“of sharing in the glory of God” &nbsp;</i>requires us to consider Jesus saying (after he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday), <i>“The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.” </i>(John 12;23)</div><div><br></div><div>What <i>“hour” </i>is He speaking of? &nbsp;Not a sixty minute portion of time, but rather the prophetic&nbsp;moment in human history when Jesus is betrayed, agonizes in the Garden of Geth<span>semane&nbsp;praying, <i>“Not my will, but thine be done”</i>, is condemned, mocked,&nbsp;scourged, reviled, crucified, suffers, dies, and then&nbsp;after three days is raised.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><u>All of this</u> is, <i>“the glory of God.”</i>&nbsp; It must also include the Father’s&nbsp;sacrificial giving of His only begotten Son for us sinners, so that what the angels sing on Christmas night may be fulfilled, <i>“on earth peace, good to man <u>with whom He is pleased!”</u></i></span></div><div><span><i><u><br></u></i></span></div><div><span>This ‘glory of God’&nbsp;(of which we have the ‘hope’ of sharing in), is accomplished in the presence of our enemies, the&nbsp;greatest adversity which&nbsp;the devil, this world, and our own human flesh can conceive. &nbsp;God's glory is revealed&nbsp;as Jesus obediently (and in faith) submits to the Father’s will, and&nbsp;is&nbsp;assaulted with the eternal&nbsp;forsaking which belongs to hell itself. &nbsp; It is the glory of God accomplished i</span><span>n the darkness, pain, and suffering of Good Friday, and three days later, the continued gloom&nbsp;of the pre-dawn Easter: a resurrected new life which is difficult at first</span><span>&nbsp;for mortals to discern.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>This <i>“glory of God”</i>&nbsp;is what Jesus refers to when He says, <i>“If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. &nbsp;For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16;24&amp;25)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The <i>“hope of sharing in the glory of God” </i><u>is</u>&nbsp;the hope of sharing in His sufferings, in the power of the indwelling Christ, by the Spirit.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to know that our suffering with Christ is not just vicarious and&nbsp;historical,</span></div><div><span>but present and actual. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, everyday, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we as dead, utterly broken, contrite-hearted, dependent children, are raised with Jesus to be His own dwelling place.”</span></div><div><span><i><br></i></span></div><div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>

Romans 5;1&2
1.  Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.2.  Through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
What exactly is “the glory of God”?
We think of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, radiant in the splendor of bright light emanating from His face and body.  
Or perhaps for some, “the glory of God” is adulation, as received from a multitude of angels, suspended in the sky over the shepherds who sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among men with whom he is pleased!”  (Luke 2;14)
But, the best understanding of what it means to have the hope, “of sharing in the glory of God”  requires us to consider Jesus saying (after he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday), “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.” (John 12;23)
What “hour” is He speaking of?  Not a sixty minute portion of time, but rather the prophetic moment in human history when Jesus is betrayed, agonizes in the Garden of Gethsemane praying, “Not my will, but thine be done”, is condemned, mocked, scourged, reviled, crucified, suffers, dies, and then after three days is raised.
All of this is, “the glory of God.”  It must also include the Father’s sacrificial giving of His only begotten Son for us sinners, so that what the angels sing on Christmas night may be fulfilled, “on earth peace, good to man with whom He is pleased!”
This ‘glory of God’ (of which we have the ‘hope’ of sharing in), is accomplished in the presence of our enemies, the greatest adversity which the devil, this world, and our own human flesh can conceive.  God's glory is revealed as Jesus obediently (and in faith) submits to the Father’s will, and is assaulted with the eternal forsaking which belongs to hell itself.   It is the glory of God accomplished in the darkness, pain, and suffering of Good Friday, and three days later, the continued gloom of the pre-dawn Easter: a resurrected new life which is difficult at first for mortals to discern.
This “glory of God” is what Jesus refers to when He says, “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  (Matthew 16;24&25)
The “hope of sharing in the glory of God” is the hope of sharing in His sufferings, in the power of the indwelling Christ, by the Spirit.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to know that our suffering with Christ is not just vicarious and historical,but present and actual.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, everyday, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we as dead, utterly broken, contrite-hearted, dependent children, are raised with Jesus to be His own dwelling place.”












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