Heavenly Expectations
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intro
Facts for facing death 2 cor 5:1-10
Goal: Analyze and apply
7 truths that prepare us for death
7 truths that prepare us for death
A believer went to visit a neighbor.
The Neighbor’s father had just died,
and soon the family would gather for the funeral.
The believer sensed that this could be the opportunity to share the gospel for which he had prayed.
The believer expressed sorrow and sympathy for the father's death.
He mentioned the death of his grandfather,
who had prepared well for death.
Then came a great surprise.
The neighbor said, "I am very afraid of death."
So the believer shared some things the Bible teaches us about death.
Death is a visitor that comes to every home.
Are we prepared to face death?
Today, I want to touch on 7 truths about death
some of this will be review from the last couple of weeks
Use these truths to prepare yourself and to help others be ready.
1. Our earthly body is like a tent-it is temporary
1. Our earthly body is like a tent-it is temporary
(2 Cor. 5:1, 4).
At the end of 2 Corinthians 4, Paul contrasted the seen and the unseen.
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
He continues this by contrasting the body we see now
and the future body we will receive at the resurrection
(read 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.
For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
Paul sewed tents to support his ministry (Acts 18:3
... for by trade they were tent-makers.
So it does not surprise us that he used a tent to illustrate truth.
Paul says that living in our earthly body is like living in a tent.
Tents are modest and temporary.
Unlike the best houses, tents have no foundation
They are made of cloth, fabric, or animal skins.
Strong winds may cause the wall of a tent to move or even fall.
People drive pegs in the ground
and tie ropes to the tent walls to help hold the walls up.
Those who live in tents do not stay long in one place.
They are visitors and pilgrims
-just passing through.
The book of Hebrews contrasts living in a tent on earth
with living in buildings in heaven.
By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Paul compares a tent and a permanent building
to our present and future bodies
Our earthly body is temporary, like a tent.
2. The earthly tent we live in may be destroyed
2. The earthly tent we live in may be destroyed
(2 Cor. 5:1
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Note the word “if” in 2 Corinthians 5:1.
Earlier, in a letter to the Thessalonians,
Paul explained that some will not die.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
All of us should live so that we are ready to meet the Lord at any moment.
Still, we should also prepare for death.
Death is a subject that many avoid.
But most believers must face death.
Paul hoped that he would not die.
He did not want his earthly tent or body to be destroyed.
He groaned at the thought of dying,
because he did not want his soul to be unclothed.
For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
In Jewish and Christian thought,
the body, soul, and spirit are united.
Paul sees the soul as naked when death separates the soul from the body.
Even though our earthly body is weak and tends to lust,
we do not want to exist only as a naked soul and spirit.
God has created the human soul and spirit with a desire to be clothed with a body.
As our bodies get older and weaker,
they are not as we would like them to be.
Still, we appreciate having a body to live in!
We groan at the thought of dying.
And we groan while waiting for our new bodies.
(Rom. 8:22-23
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
Most of the people who live on earth must die.
But the return of Christ is "the blessed hope" for all of us
(Tit. 2:11-14
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
We would love to hear the final trumpet today.
Then, we would escape death,
and we would replace this old tent with something better.
Even if death separates the believer's soul from the body,
God will give us a beautiful white robe to wear until the Resurrection (Rev. 6:10-11
and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
3. Our future body is like a heavenly building-it is eternal
3. Our future body is like a heavenly building-it is eternal
(2 Cor. 5:1
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Our earthly body is like a tent-temporary.
But our heavenly body is like a building in heaven-eternal.
The body we receive at the Resurrection will provide a permanent covering for the naked soul."
Recall that Paul wrote about our new bodies in 1 Corinthians.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Our heavenly bodies are eternal;
they cannot die, perish, or grow old!
Paul built tents with his own hands.
Likewise, all that we build on earth requires the work of our hands.
In contrast, God, who spoke the worlds into existence,
will create our new bodies without any help from us!
4. God has given us the Holy Spirit as a deposit to guarantee our future beyond death
4. God has given us the Holy Spirit as a deposit to guarantee our future beyond death
(2 Cor. 5:5
Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
What happens after death?
People have different opinions.
Some say that after death, nothing happens.
These atheists think that humans are an accident
—a collection of atoms.
Others, like Hindus and New Age followers, say
that death is a door to the next life.
These think that after death,
we may be a tree, a cow, a snake, or a god.
Followers of Jesus believe that these teachings on reincarnation are
either myths or
"doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
What happens after death?
Our answer is,
"We are with Jesus!"
This answer is not just a guess
or an "I think so."
We KNOW!
Paul begins 2 Corinthians 5:1 with the words:
For we know that ...
"Now we know."
We know whom we have believed.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.
For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
We know because God's Spirit gives us an inner witness and assurance.
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
When a person wants to buy a house,
he must give a deposit
-a large amount of money that assures the seller.
Likewise, God gives us the great deposit
of His Spirit to guarantee that the gospel is true.
Those without God fear death.
But we do not fear to cross death's river,
for we are sure that our Father,
our Savior,
and many beloved others are there.
The Spirit inspires us to sing the old song,
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory divine!"
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
5. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord
5. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord
(2 Cor. 5:6-8
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
for we walk by faith, not by sight—
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
When Paul considers death,
he is not thinking about purgatory
-a doctrine that is nowhere in the Bible.
Nor does Paul believe in soul sleep
-the false teaching that when believers die,
they take a long nap.
Paul says that at death,
we are at once in the presence of the Lord.
Death may separate our bodies from our spirits,
but nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
(Rom. 8:35-39
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Just as it is written,
“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
6. It is better and preferred to be with the Lord in heaven
6. It is better and preferred to be with the Lord in heaven
(2 Cor. 5:8
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).
Paul saw life through spiritual eyes.
He knew that living in heaven was far better than living on earth.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
Sometimes Christians fear and fight death too much.
A youth pastor friend of mine was preaching on heaven, and told me this story:
He asked: "How many of you want to go to heaven?"
Except for one boy, everyone raised his hand.
The pastor asked, "Son, don't you want to go to heaven?"
"Sure, I want to go to heaven," said the boy.
"But I thought you were getting a group ready to go tonight!"
Another pastor told me the story of a family he knew.
There was a little boy who was ill with a disease that no doctor could cure.
Month by month the mother cared for him.
In time, as the boy watched other boys playing outside his window,
the truth came to him.
He realized that he was dying.
One day he asked the question that was heavy on his childish heart.
"Mama, what is it like to die? Does it hurt?"
Quick tears filled her eyes,
and she fled to the kitchen to hide her sorrow.
Alone, she prayed that the Lord would give her an answer
an answer that would bring peace to her little boy.
The Lord gave her that answer.
She came back and said to him,
"Do you remember when you played hard all day?
At the end of the day you came in and lay down on mama's bed
with all of your clothes on and fell asleep.
When you woke up in the morning,
you found yourself with your pajamas on
and in your own bed.
What happened during the night was that your daddy came in.
With his strong arms he lifted you from mommy's bed to your own bed.
He carried you.
And death is like that.
We wake up one morning in another room
-the room where we belong.
It will be a room that the Lord gives us
because He loves us
and died for us
and rose again."
With a smile on his face, the little boy told his mother that he understood.
His father's big strong arms would carry him to his own room.
Death is not a dungeon.
It is a door to heaven
and to our eternal reward.
I hope most of that was review for most of you, and a good reminder
this seventh truth about death is the meat of what I want to talk about today
7. After death, we must all stand before Christ to be judged
7. After death, we must all stand before Christ to be judged
(2 Cor. 5:9-10)
2 Cor. 5:9-10
Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
The Greek word for judgment seat is bema.
The Corinthians were familiar with the bema.
The Romans punished crime in public.
So the judge sat in the open,
at the top of the stairs to a government building."
There, the public watched and listened.
Some citizens served as a jury,
as the judge heard cases."
Some Jews accused Paul in Corinth
and brought him to the bema court to be judged
When Gallio refused to judge Paul's case,
the Jews beat Sosthenes,
the synagogue ruler,
in front of the bema (Acts 18:12-17
But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, (bema)
saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you;
but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.”
And he drove them away from the judgment seat. (bema)
And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. (bema) But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
The Bible teaches that believers will one day give an account at the bema-
the judgment seat of Christ.
Truth about the bema judgment is very important.
Let us look at four facts about the bema judgment of believers.
1. All believers must stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
1. All believers must stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
There will be no exceptions.
2 Cor. 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
At the bema,
judgment is not as a group,
but is one by one-
The judge is Christ.
Other verses, such as Romans 14:10, refer to God as Judge.
But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
God judges,
but as John clarifies,
the Father judges through the Son,
who is Himself God (John 5:22-23
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
The bema judgment seems to be for believers only.
Yet the parallel passage in Romans 14:11 states that
"EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD."
Does this mean that the bema judgment is also for sinners?
Some passages, like Daniel 12:2 and John 5:28-29,
mention the judgment of the righteous and the wicked together,
emphasizing the event of judgment.
“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
In contrast, other verses, like Revelation 20:4-5,
explain that there is a gap of 1000 years between the judgment of saints
and the judgment of sinners.
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
All people must stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
But it seems that we believers stand at the bema
a thousand years before Christ judges sinners from His great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
first truth about the bema is that all go before the bema seat
the second is that
2. The doctrines of justification and retribution balance each other.”
2. The doctrines of justification and retribution balance each other.”
Eternal life is a free gift that comes to us by God's grace (Eph. 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
We are justified-counted righteous-
on the basis of Christ's death on the cross (Rom. 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
This is the doctrine of justification.
Still, Christ will judge each believer.
This is the doctrine of retribution.
Each Christian will “receive what is due him for the things done while in the body. whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:9-10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
God's free gift of salvation does not free us from obedience.
On the Day of Judgment,
all Christians must give an account of how they lived in the body.
Justification is not a substitute for obedience.
And justification does not negate obedience;
rather, justification makes obedience possible and necessary.
Earlier, Paul warned that it is possible for him and others to be lost on the basis of his actions (1 Cor. 9-10
We must renew our decision to follow and obey Christ day by day."
At the end of our days
, God will judge each of us
truths about the bema
1 all will be judged
2 our life and deeds will be weighed, but in the light of justification by faith
3. The bema judgment is not for salvation, but for eternal rewards
3. The bema judgment is not for salvation, but for eternal rewards
(2 Cor. 5:10
In Paul's day, cities and towns used the bema to judge crime,
give speeches,
and give awards.
The bema was the place to give awards each year for the annual Olympic contests.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote about the bema judgment for rewards.
Olympic medal
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
A worthless building is destroyed by fire,
but the builder is not destroyed with it."
What a person does may be worthless,
and yet this does not exclude him from the kingdom of God."
Picture each person walking into the fire,
holding his works in his arms.
Those who have lived wisely on earth will carry many works into and out of the fire.
Others may carry many works into the fire,
but have part or all of them destroyed.
This will be because they lived fleshly lives,
selfish lives,
and did good deeds for the wrong reasons.
And there will be some who do not carry any works into or out of the fire.
This may contain many baby believers
who did not mature.
At the bema, Christ does not whip anyone,
but He rewards the faithful.
John Wesley lived on 30 British pounds a year
and gave more than 1000 pounds to spread the gospel.
He prayed 2 hours a day and led 250,000 people to Christ.
Imagine how many works he will carry through the fire!
Likewise, there are many believers today who are not famous but live godly lives.
At the bema judgment, these will receive great rewards (Rev. 22:12
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
Sometimes schools and colleges give awards and rewards on graduation day.
At the end of several years of studies,
schools honor students who have worked hard
and learned well.
Likewise, after the contests in the Olympics,
some receive honor for their success.
But these types of rewards are very different from the rewards of the bema judgment.
At a school or at the Olympics,
only those who have done well are called to the front.
Others clap after a person receives a reward.
But at the bema judgment,
each person will have a time to come to the front.
And all will see whether the person lived wisely or foolishly.
Some will have great joy, but others great sorrow (1 John 2:28; 2 John 8).
Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.
People soon forget who received the rewards at graduation
or at the Olympics.
But the rewards at the bema judgment will last for all eternity.
What kind of rewards will God give to those who are faithful?
Perhaps He will give them crowns with many jewels in them.
Or perhaps He will give them positions of high responsibility and honor, over those who were less faithful on earth (Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:16-19).
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
In heaven, some who were poor and lowly on earth will be honored above those who were once wealthy and famous.
Some of the first will be last, and some of the last will be first.
Use well what God has given to you,
and He will add to it in eternity.
But neglect will cause God to subtract.
God adds to the diligent
and subtracts from the negligent.
There is a direct relationship between how we live on earth
and the level of honor we will enjoy for eternity.
4. The bema judgment should cause us to judge ourselves now
4. The bema judgment should cause us to judge ourselves now
(2 Cor. 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “If we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment"
(1 Cor. 11:31
But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
Here are some questions for each person to ask himself in preparation for the bema judgment:
Am I a good son or daughter,
bringing honor to my father and mother?
Am I a good and faithful father or mother?
Am I a good citizen,
obeying the laws
and doing my part to make the world a better place?
Am I a good neighbor,
treating others as I want to be treated?
Am I a good church member,
faithful in tithing,
attending,
and participating in church ministries?
Am I a good Christian,
pleasing the Lord,
being holy,
reading the Bible,
praying,
and walking in the Spirit?
Am I a good witness,
daily seeking to lead others closer to Christ by my actions and words?
Am I a good mentor,
discipling and training others to follow my example,
as I follow Christ?
in other words, are you mentoring someone
and are you a good role model
Am I a good steward of my body,
mind,
eyes,
money,
time,
and abilities
-things that God has entrusted to me to serve Him?
Am I a cheerful giver
-reaching out a full hand to give,
more than I reach out an empty hand to take?
Am I hiding sin in a closet?
Is my conscience clear?
Is there anything of which I need to repent
and ask God to help me change now
-to prevent shame and loss in the future?
Select a song or hymn, such as "Take My Life And Let It Be."
Sing it often as a prayer of commitment to God.
