The Hope of Eternity
Notes
Transcript
Start out today saying that this message is meant to be one of inspiration and encouragement!
Last week I shared a passage from 2 Tim 1:6.
Paul wrote to a young man he left to lead a church:
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
I said it is valuable for us to fan into flame the gift of God..to stir up our faith and passion for God-especially in moments of difficulty and doubt.
That is a primary goal of mine today…to help us fan into flame the gifts God has given us and our faith in Him.
We will be considering one of the foundational hopes of faith in Jesus-the Hope of eternal life!
considering one of the foundational hopes of faith in Jesus…hope of eternal life!
Open to 1 Cor 5..
Let me back up a bit to last week.
We read in 2 Cor 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
The point is to say WE are not somehow great/powerful/wonderful in our service to God..not we are limited/weak/challenged by out shortcomings…we are jars of clay, but God is powerful He places his treasures of his love/grace/power of the HS within us to show His power at work in/through us.
Let me tell you…when I look at my own life, I am so encouraged by that!
Over 17 years ago I responded to an opportunity presented to me to move here and start a new church…but even before that moment I responded to a desire in my heart to serve God; to make a difference for Him in this world with Here I am, Lord, use me.
And I began a journey and a habit of stepping out in faith-trusting God to place His treasures in me.
there have been a LOT of really challenging moments along the way.
After all this time, I am very aware of my own shortcomings…my sins…and yet I am so encouraged by the fact that I have seen God at work in marvelous ways.
He has been at work within me…changing me…teaching me year after year new levels of walking by faith…teaching me lessons I probably would never have learned if I had not said, “yes” to him and walked into challenging situations.
And I have had the joy of seeing Him work in other people’s lives through me…and around me.
No greater joy in this world that I know!
Encourage you to do that same…offer your life to Jesus…for His sake…for Him to work in/through you....stick with it.
This is the joy Paul expressed in 2 Cor 4 when he wrote that we do not lose heart and 2 Cor 4:17-18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Calling us to focus our attention on who we know God to be…to live by faith
and then He followed this up with these words in 2 Cor 5.
Read 2 Cor 5:1-10.
The tent he refers to is our mortal flesh..our current physical being that is subject to death and decay.
Says that if this tent is destroyed we have a BUILDING from God-something much stronger and longer lasting…a house not made with hands, but eternal.
Referring to the promise Jesus made of eternal life with Him.
We see an example of this in John 14. (open to)
Jesus was eating his last meal with his disciples before being arrested and says to them John 14:1-3.
One of the great promises of faith in Jesus is that because He took the penalty of our sin on himself…he provides us undeserved forgivness…and purification before God.
And that allows us to enjoy eternal fellowship with the Lord. We will NEVER have to be separated from Him ..not today, not tomorrow, not not the day we pass from this world…not for eternity!
The Bible communicates that our being…body, mind, soul…is made for eternity! We do not perish, but we choose whether we get to enjoy eternal life with God or not.
This is not just idea expressed by religious people.
There is something built into us that knows thing. There is a human longing for eternity that we see expressed throughout human culture.
The ancient Egyptians prepared and preserved bodies of their departed loved ones so they would not decay and prepared them for a life after death.
And of course we do see in a number of different religions ideas expressed of a life after death..
Outside of religion - all kinds of accounts form people having near death expriences..coming back and telling of a experiencing a life beyond this one…a new existence.
Today…we apply scientific study to try to “defeat aging and death”…pushing the limits on how long a human body can stay strong and healthy and vibrant. We apply all kinds of cosmetic techniques to try to maintain youthful appearances as long as possible…this is part our human quest for eternity.
There are new options being offered today for preserving/maintaining life after death…seeking a kind of immortality for ourselves and our loved ones.
The ashes of your loved one can be planted in a pot with some soil and a tree sapling so that they can live on as part of the tree.
Just read an article yesterday about a company that will be launching a rocket in 2024 with the remains of almost 200 people along with DNA samples of people still living. Among the ashes are those of Star Trek creator and some of the original cast…supposedly a hair follicle of Geo. Washington. The goal is to launch these remains/samples into space and deposit them in eternal orbit around the Sun so that these people may “live on” for eternity…experience a type of immortality.
These are just a few examples of the ways we human beings express our longing for eternity. There is something within us that wants to live forever..believes in something beyond this current existence and all its woes.
Notice the way Paul writes about the change form this life into the next.
Currently living in a tent - thing a building
When we enter into eternity we are not unclothed..but futher clothed.
He says the mortal life (current life) will be swallowed up by life!
The NCV says it this way: end of v 4
“Then this body that dies will be fully covered with life”
This is so different that our common views about life/death/eternity…honestly throughout my own life as a Christian I have not heard reference to these thoughts.
Our views tend to be that death in this life is a loss. - really no wonder because we who remain living are losing someone dear to us.
But the bible expresses this idea that what we become in the nest life is SO much better/greater than what we have now.
Right now we are limited…we only experience a part..a shadow of the fullness of life available to us through Jesus.
The essence of who God made us to be…our soul is clothed with a new, body to live in eternity…either apart form God-refusing and rejecting His goodness or WITH GOD-experiencing the FULLNESS of fellowship with Him and the fullness of life He intended for us from the beginning!
Look at v 5.
Read from ESV
Again NCV: “This is what God made us for, and he has given us the Spirit to be a guarantee for this new life!
the Holy Spirit…the presence of God with us today when we life by faith in Jesus…the the guarantee given to us now of the fullness of life to come!
There is so much joy…so much to look forward to in this promise!
Again, look at Paul’s words about this.
2 Cor 5:6-8 “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
The promise of eternity with God gives us an optimistic and hopeful outlook on the future..no matter what becomes of our bodies/life in this world.
This is why Christian funerals are often a mixture of mourning and loss but also of celebrating out loved one and the life they have entered into with Jesus!
Read 1 Thess 4:13-14.
But the joy and hope found in this promise is not just for some day in the future when we depart this life and are clothed with the fullness of life in Christ.
The promise provides hope and endurance for today as well!
Paul says twice in this part of 2 Cor 5 “so we are always of good courage!”
So while we are currently at home in this body…that is living out our current mortal life....we live by faith that one day we will be with the Lord…and nothing in this world will take that away from us. Really nothing to fear from this life..We live by faith in the promise of god’s presence at all times…and we have faith that God will choose when it is time for us to go be with Him.
Whether we are at home or away, whether we are here apart from God or with him in eternity, Paul says we make it our aim to please Him. …we do so out of love for the grace/mercy/love he has shown us…and we do so out of joy in the promise that we will always be with Him
The promise of eternal life is a promise that can sustain you in everything this life throws at you.
There is no mistaking the Fact that this world is full of hardships and losses. Our life in this world is immersed in sin and brokenness…makes life difficult to bear at times. Can leave you feeling empty…hopeless…alone…bitter if or focus is on those hard things.
But when life leads to loss…loss of those dear to us…we can sustain hope that they are now free from that brokenness and are filled with the fullness of life...
and there is hope in knowing that one day we may re-join them as well.
And when the circumstances of life are difficult to bear....these is hope in knowing God is now present and will always be present with us…offering His strength and wisdom. We can endure those trials…even direct persecution in knowing that God will make good of every circumstance and no matter what becomes of us we will always be with Him.
This perseverance and hope in eternity has sustained Christians across generations and around the world through countless challenges. It has given them courage and faith and endurance to risk everything for the sake of doing some good in this world for Jesus glory and overcome some of the great evils that harm people today.
It is this kind of persevering faith among Christians that led to the development of things like hospitals , modern perspectives on medical care…and schools to provide all people opportunities to become educated and do great things with their lives....and it has led to people taking the Gospel to every area of the world…even when the risks seemed high.
I want to encourage you today to take faith in Jesus and hold onto his promise of eternity with Him in confidence.
Whatever trials you may be facing…hold onto hope in Jesus that He can overcome in this life and the next.
Whatever sorrows you are holding…you can know that Jesus knows and cares…and will be by your side today, tomorrow, throughout all the ups and downs, and into eternity. He will hold you
And whatever God may be calling you into…no matter how big..how difficult it may see…you need not worry. Jesus will be with you and will provide what you need. The promise of his presence is eternal!
Take heart today. There Jesus is available to you. He cares for you. And no matter what this world takes from you…Jesus will one day clothe you fully with life so that what you have now is swallowed up…so overwhelmed by the fullness of life…and light…and joy in Him in the life to come.
May God give you hope in every circumstance because of His eternal promises.