This message teaches that believers were not only redeemed from sin but created to share in the very glory of Christ Jesus. God’s ultimate purpose for His children is not just salvation or sanctification—but glorification. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the eyes of our understanding are opened to comprehend the hope of His calling and the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:15–18).

When Christ came into the world, He laid aside His divine glory to become human and endure suffering so that we might share in His eternal glory. Although we live in a fallen world filled with trials, those sufferings are temporary and purposeful—each one shaping us into the image of Christ and preparing us for an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

To be “in Christ” means to share in His life, His inheritance, and His glory—both now and in the life to come. A measure of that glory can be experienced now through the Spirit, transforming us “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Yet the fullness of that glory awaits Christ’s return, when believers will be made like Him (1 John 3:2).

Paul calls believers to fix their eyes not on the temporary things of this world but on the eternal. Our citizenship is in heaven, and our trials are producing endurance, character, and hope (Romans 5:1–5). This glory is the fulfillment of God’s love—He calls us into fellowship with His Son and promises that, after we have suffered a little while, He will restore, establish, and strengthen us (1 Peter 5:10).

Thus, we were created for glory, to reflect the nature, holiness, and love of God for eternity. Our present hardships are merely the pathway to the crown. Cross first, then glory.