A House From God
Lessons From 2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We are continuing our series examining the second preserved letter Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.
We last left off looking at 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 discussing what it means as ministers or servants of God to preach and teach the “Treasure In Clay Jars.”
That as teachers and workers for God we are to make it all about God the Potter as we are just the clay.
And that we are not alone in this journey having the faithful in the past as our encouragers having dealt with any and all suffering we might encounter yet staying faithful.
That brings us to our text today from 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 wherein the apostle Paul describes the reality of living on this earth verse waiting for “A House From God” that is eternal in the heavens.
2 Corinthians 5:1 (ESV)
1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
What can learn from our text today?
This Life Is Difficult
This Life Is Difficult
An Earthly Home.
An Earthly Home.
There is no escaping that fact that God chose to have “humans” start their existence here on earth.
There is no such thing as a human being born in the spiritual world.
All of us, other than Adam, Eve, and Jesus’ humanity were created the the same through the reproduction made possible between man and women (Genesis 1:22).
God steps in and gives us life.
4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
God watches over our development in the womb.
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
God watches over us throughout the rest of our lives.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
As you and I know so clearly, sin came into this world through one man, Adam (Romans 5:12) and thus sin has permeated the earth ever since making it Satan’s kingdom (Romans 3:23; Matthew 12:26; John 12:31).
Because of this Paul writes about the reality of what it means to be in a physical body as a faithful child of God in this old sinful world…IT”S HARD!!!
2 Corinthians 5:1–2 (ESV)
1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
2 Corinthians 5:3–4 (ESV)
3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
For Christians who are faithful and true, this life is all about getting to the next life but in that process there are a lot of challenges along the way.
First their is the reality that we know that this earthly home “our life on earth” will “be destroyed” one day.
Hebrews 9:27 (ESV)
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment
Second, we know this earthly home “our life on earth” will “burden us.”
We will have the burden of knowing our sin and constantly needed forgiveness for our sin and the burden sin will have on our lives.
1 John 1:7 (ESV)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
We will have the burden of knowing that not all our friends, family, and loved will obey God and that is hard to bear.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
We will be have to bear the burden of persecution for righteousness sake.
2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted
Matthew 5:11 (ESV)
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Summary
Summary
This life certainly has its challenges due to sin and the rampant effectiveness of it in our lives.
Striving to walk in the light of God would be unbearable if we didn’t have the promises of God to go along with it.
This life is too ugly, painful, and down right difficult to go about it all on our own.
That is why the inspired apostle points out that this life is NOT the “end of the matter.”
Yes this life is difficult but…
The Next Life Is Great
The Next Life Is Great
An Eternal Home.
An Eternal Home.
Let’s read 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 again, but this time focus on the “house from God” rather than the “earthly house” we currently posses.
2 Corinthians 5:1–2 (ESV)
1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
2 Corinthians 5:3–4 (ESV)
3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
The “new life” to come is going to be so much greater than this life we have on earth.
It is given to us by God and will be eternal in the heavens.
John 14:1–3 (ESV)
1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Because this new life is in heaven we will be given heavenly bodies God that are not difficult but great as well.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
Summary
Summary
It is obvious that heaven cannot properly be described to us as there is very little in the way of description of heaven.
The best of this is seen in Revelation 4 where we see God the Father on his throne and the angelic beings, elders, and martyrs are so in awe of being in the presence of God they are non-stop worshiping him.
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
The reaction we have just read leads us perfectly into the last point the inspired writer is trying to get across which is…
This Life Is Encouraging
This Life Is Encouraging
The End From The Beginning.
The End From The Beginning.
Notice that even though this life on earth has its difficulties, its burdens, it is also FOR THE FAITHFUL, a life that is encouraging but why?
Because we the faithful know the end from the beginning in this particular case.
2 Corinthians 5:5–6 (ESV)
5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
2 Corinthians 5:7–8 (ESV)
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:9–10 (ESV)
9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
For those of us who have studied God’s precious word and know the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are not only aware of the next life and how great it is, we can “know we have eternal life.”
1 John 5:13 (ESV)
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
We can, in this old sinful word, dealing with all the burdens this life brings, “rejoice always” because we know the end from the beginning in this particular case.
Philippians 4:4–5 (ESV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand
We can rejoice always because we know the Lord will come and judge the righteous justified and able to spend and eternity with him in our new perfect, eternal, spiritual body.
Summary
Summary
Because God has guaranteed through promise a home with him for his faithful, through the blood of Christ his son, we can be continually encouraged in this life though it has its burdens.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Yes, it is not easy to give up everything in this life and take up our cross daily for our Savior as it will bring burdens no doubt.
But the eternal rest we will receive after fighting that good fight of faith far exceeds any momentary discomfort in this “earthly tent” we will suffer.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.