The Ultimate Goal of the Christian Journey

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The Ultimate Goalof the Christian Journey

• Lesson 3

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• Most of us appreciate the value of setting goals.
  
• Successful corporations give credit to setting
  high goals and motivating their employers to
  focus on achieving them.
• People who are successful in their vocations are
  driven to acquire the fullest knowledge possible
  about their occupation and continually pursue all
  new information to stay at the peak of their
  qualifications.

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• Those who desire to have good relations with
  family, friends, co-workers, social acquaintances
  and yes, fellow Christians are wise to make it a
  goal to learn conversation and behavior that
  nourishes good relationships.
• Likewise, those who have embarked on the
  Christian journey by receiving Jesus Christ as
  Savior are wise to identify the ultimate goal of
  the journey and focus on learning and pursuing
  the attitudes and actions that help them reach
  that goal.

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The Ultimate Goal of the Christian Journey is to
be Shaped into the Likeness of Jesus Christ.

• Biblical Confirmation
• The apostle Paul gives strong confirmation in
  Romans, chapter 8, of Gods ultimate goal
• For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be
  conformed to the image of His Son, that He might
  be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans
  829.

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• Christians who have been studying the Bible are
  probably much more familiar with the previous
  verse,
• And we know that all things work together for
  good to those who love God, to those who are
  called according to His purpose. Romans 828.
• We are likely to quote this verse when. . .
• We get fired from our job
• We are diagnosed with serious illnesses
• Our house burns down
• We experience a campaign of lies and slander

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• We would experience far more comfort and
  encouragement if we would also claim verse 29.
• The reason God allows bad experiences to come
  into our lives is the same as why He allows great
  blessings of joy and happiness.
• Everything He allows shapes us to be more like
  Jesus.
• To truly believe that makes all hurts to be worth
  it all.

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• Biblical Illustration
• In 2nd Corinthians 34-18, the apostle Paul
  compared the
• New Covenant of Christ Jesus with the
• Mosaic Covenant
• to show how the New Covenant has far greater
  glory.
• At the close he reveals how keeping our eyes on
  Jesus transforms us into His likeness.

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• The Mosaic Covenant
• But if the ministry of death, written and
  engraved on stones was glorious, so that the
  children of Israel could not look steadily at the
  face of Moses because of the glory of his
  countenance, which glory was passing away. . .
• The New Covenant
• . . .How will the ministry of the Spirit not be
  more glorious? 37, 8.

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• The Mosaic Covenant For if the ministry of
  condemnation had glory. . .
• The New Covenant The ministry of righteousness
  exceeds much more in glory. 39.

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• The Mosaic Covenant
• For even what was made glorious had no glory
  in this respect
• The New Covenant
• . . .Because of the glory that excels. 310.

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• The Mosaic Covenant For if what was passing
  away was glorious. . .
• The New Covenant . . .What remains is much
  more glorious. Therefore, since we have such
  hope, we use great boldness of speech--- 311,
  12.

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• The Mosaic Covenant . . .Unlike Moses, who put
  a veil over his face so that the children of
  Israel could not look steadily at the end of what
  was passing away. But their minds were blinded.
  For until this day the same veil remains unlifted
  in the reading of the Old Testament.
• The New Covenant . . .Because the veil is
  taken away in Christ. Verses 13, 14.

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• The Mosaic Covenant But even unto this day,
  when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
  Verse 15.
• The New Covenant Nevertheless when one turns
  to the LORD, the veil is taken away. Now the
  Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the
  Lord is, there is liberty. Vss 16, 17.

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• Let us summarize
• 1. The Mosaic Covenant was glorious. The Ten
  Commandments revealed the holiness,
  righteousness, and justice of God. The
  sacrifices pictured that God provided a means for
  the sins of the people to be covered over until
  the sacrifice of Jesus took away the sins of the
  world. The Great Commandments reveal the love
  all of us are to have towards God and our fellow
  man.

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• Israel was blinded to the true purpose of Gods
  law. Why? Because they mistook the purpose of
  the law. They believed that God gave the law so
  they could save themselves by keeping the law by
  works of righteousness and religious practice.
  They entered into a covenant relationship with
  God in great confidence.
• All that the Lord has spoken we will do..
  
• Exodus
  198 243.

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• It is significant that even before Moses
  brought the final aspects of the law the people
  were worshipping the golden calf provided by
  their High Priest, Aaron
• (See Exodus 321-5)
• This was a clear violation of the first two
  commandments.

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• The true purpose of Gods law made clear. The
  apostle Paul wrote in Romans 319, 20
• Now we know that whatever the law says, it says
  to those who are under the law, that every mouth
  may be stopped, and all the world may become
  guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the
  law no flesh will be justified in His sight for
  by the law is the knowledge of sin.

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• In the verses that follow we are informed
  that we receive the righteousness of God through
  faith in Jesus Christ and we are justified
  freely by His grace through the redemption that
  is in Christ Jesus. (Verses 21-24).
• This is what Paul meant when he wrote in 2nd
  Corinthians 316,
• Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord
  (Jesus), the veil is taken away.

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• Gods Supreme Provision To Shape Us Into The
  Likeness of Jesus.
• But we all (true believers) with unveiled face,
  beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD,
  are being transformed into the same image from
  glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the
  LORD. 318
• This verse gives us some great keys for Gods
  children to be shaped into the likeness of Jesus.

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• But we all. . .
• All true believers are encouraged to unite in
  The New Covenant purchased by the sacrifice of
  Jesus and sealed by His own blood to pursue Gods
  purpose of shaping them into the likeness of
  Jesus.
• We are inclined to think that pastors,
  teachers, evangelists and deacons are to strive
  to be like Jesus and the rest of us are exempted
  from doing so. The apostle Paul informs us here
  that we are all included.

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• . . .With unveiled faces. . .
• We should reject the great spiritual blunder
  of multitudes in the family of Israel to cover
  our eyes so that we cannot see Gods grand
  purpose for us.
• . . .Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the
  LORD. . .
• We are told here to continually gaze into the
  mirror God has provided us. Instead of seeing a
  reflection of ourselves we see a likeness of the
  Lord Jesus in His glory. We are promised that as
  we do so we are being transformed into the same
  image from (one level of) glory to (a higher
  level) of glory by the Spirit of the Lord.

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• We note that when the apostle Paul wrote this,
  mirrors were made of highly polished metal.
  They were much less clear than the mirrors we
  have today. Verse 14 indicates that the mirror
  represents the Holy Scriptures.
• But their minds were blinded. For until this
  day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading
  of the Old Testament, because the veil is not
  taken away in Christ.
• When we read the Scriptures we should be
  looking for Jesus.

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• Jesus challenged the Jewish religious leaders,
  You search the Scriptures (Old Testament) ,for
  in them you think you have eternal life and
  these are they which testify of Me. John 539.
• Whether we are reading the Old Testament or the
  New Testament we should be looking for Jesus.
  The Holy Spirit will help us to see Him in His
  glory.

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• As we continue to gaze upon Him the Spirit of God
  will transform us from our present level of glory
  to a higher level of glory . . .shaping us into
  the likeness of Christ.
• We are all encouraged to read the
  Scriptures and look for Jesus,
• the kind of person He is,
• the truths He taught, and
• the examples He set.
• Then let the Holy Spirit transform us.

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