Those whom he predestined, he also called, and those whom he called, he also justified,

and those whom he justified, he also glorified.

This week gone things unseen we've been reflecting on these words of Paul in Romans chapter

8 verse 30.

The sheer power of them is amazing.

I heard it said once that CH Spurgeon read them on one occasion when he was preaching

and commented, brethren, there is no stopping this God.

It's absolutely wonderful.

And Paul has kept the best in a sense to the last, glorification.

There's kind of Russian doll effect in this verse, isn't there?

Open up predestination in Christ and you find calling by Christ inside.

Open up calling and you find justification in Christ inside, open up justification

and you find glorification and likeness to the Lord Jesus inside.

I've sometimes said when I think the people who are listening may have watched the famous

long-running BBC TV series Doctor Who, that the gospel is like Doctor Who's Time Machine.

His Time Machine on the outside is an old, battered London police phone box.

But the thing about it is, it's larger on the inside than it is on the outside, and

it's full of marvels.

And when we think about the gospel, isn't that true?

And when we think about the gospel's effect on us, it's also true.

On the outside we're basically nobody's, specs of dust and of ast cosmos.

But God has set his heart and glorifying us.

...