Celebration comes so naturally to us because we were created to rejoice.

And that is the point that John Piper made in his 1999 sermon on Romans chapter 5.

Here's a brief clip of that sermon.

Paul said in Romans 9.23 that the goal of creation and judgment and salvation is to

make known the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy which he prepared

beforehand for glory. You were made, Christian, to enjoy the glory of God.

That's why you were created to enjoy the ever-flowing increasing revelation of the

glory of God.

Which is why Paul in that magnificent chapter 3 of Philippians said,

I count all things as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.

Indeed I count everything as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ.

What do you gain if you gain Christ and lose everything else?

Well, in 2 Thessalonians 2.14 he says it like this.

That was for this that Christ called you through our gospel so that you may gain the glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what you gain.

You gain the glory of the maker of the universe and the redeemer of your souls.

Now that just leaves this to talk about on exulting in the hope of the glory of God.

If you've seen the glory in the gospel, if you know that it's a million, million times

greater than what you have seen and you put your hope in it by faith, what does it mean

to exult in that hope? What does that mean?

I'm 53 years old. I lived through the Vietnam War. I almost was drafted. I did not go to Canada.

It just didn't fall. But I went and got my physical and got my number.

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