Our Dwelling to Come...

Glad you are here this morning, hard to imagine it is the last Sunday of July, is it not?

Well this Sunday tells us something unique, do you know what it is?

Summer is almost over and school is just about ready to get back into full swing again .

Freedom of summer break is almost gone...

But that will be ok, Jesus is with us no matter what.....

As the seasons move one to another we know that God is still at work in our world, Amen.

Now lets move forward this morning.....

Last week we began looking at a set of passages from the Book of 2 Corinthians.

And we began looking at the idea of a future state. The great change that will come to our future life with the Lord. Because He is the first fruits of the resurrection we will one day share that same state.

But for now, we hold a precious treasure, a redeemed soul in a earthen vessel. and in the midst of it all we are called to live for Jesus every day. We are called to share the hope hidden in side of us, the love and message of Jesus.

And I know like Paul knew in that day, there are difficulties alone the way.

But He encourages us to do our best… strive, push, work hard; not for ourselves, not for Paul… but for Jesus and his glory.

Your life, my life, each of us should bring Him glory…

So this morning lets continue this these and lets go the 2 Corinthians chapter 5

And in , we will look at the first 10 verses....

2 Corinthians 5:1–10 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, 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. 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, 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. 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.

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In this passage I can point out several things concerning our life here in this passage.

So lets begin and think about this...

As you open up this chapter, this thought ( Life has momentary afflictions) is the very first point that Paul makes to the believers he is writing too.

Now why would Paul write about affliction? I think we could identify several reasons..

First off....

A. Life does indeed have afflictions… it is part of the real world, we cannot sugar coat our existence here on ole planet earth. Now many false teacher, wolves in sheep's clothing would like to convenience the world, something is wrong if you are facing trouble, hardships, whatever.... prosperity gospel and the like has been bad about this issue.

B. He is trying to encourage the Christians there, reminding them that God is aware of their present condition, but also to remind them of their future hope.

He began talking about the afflictions of life back in chapter 4, and as Paul opens chapter 5, he

Why does he go there first.... I think he is getitng to the heart of the matter, what is on a lot of peoples minds… kind of like talking about the elephant that is in the room, getting it out and into the open.

The Jewish brethren at times had the idea that trials, suffering might be the result of sin. Paul reminds people what was happening, life has problems, but don’t be consumed by them.

Now lets move forward.... Paul is talking about the afflictions of life back in chapter 4, and as Paul opens chapter 5, he continues that thought...

Look at verse 1....

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.

Paul says here “For we know...” That little phrase is important, it will set the stage for what he has been talking about and what He is tying it to in chapter 5. So lets run back to chapter 4, and refresh our memories.... Listen to

2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Now when you hear this, please don’t think that Paul is making light of the circumstances around him,… no, not at all.

What He means is this.....

When you compare the afflictions of this age to the joy, the greatness, the glory of what is to come… well there is really no comparison. It is the idea of comparing this life to the life of glory, standing in the presence of Jesus. You just cannot truly compare the two...

He says everything we face here, well it is ok…, in light of what is to come....

Paul has indeed faced hardships and persecution thus far in His ministry and there will be more before his death in the days to come…

The same is true of us, we might be 1900 years in the future, but this life we live is not free of problems, it never will be,.. if you could start naming some of your problems, well we would be here all day probably. We face hardships, failures and discouragements .. honestly what we face… is what we know Paul faced, and the early church faced similar things indeed...

Don’t doubt it a bit… but here is what you can do...

Bear up under it faithfully. We know that life has problems, but Jesus walks with us. We can bear it up under the joy of this knowledge.

But this passage reminds us of a promise… so lets move on to our second thought for today.

So this life is proving grounds for the next… the problems, the events of this life remind us how sweet our life will be before the Lord. the promise of what is to come is indeed special, wonderful and as such we are thankful...

We really just moved to the word ‘for’ in verse 1… so what is next...

Lets go back to our text...

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 5:1–5 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, 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. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So there are a couple thoughts here for us to examine… to know and understand this truth better.

The first is this:

Lets go back to our

So listen to what Paul is saying here, He says if this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God himself, a house that is eternal in the heavens, made not with Human hands.

The tent is the modern description of our bodies, tents are temporary… and so is this body. This body is a temporary vessel that shelters the soul while we journey through this life. But the truth is; this body, tent cannot last forever. It will wear out, fail and eventually be destroyed, and will return to the ground from whence it came..

But do not fear>>>>> God has already been at work in us.

Go back to verse 1

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.

@ Cor 5;1

So when we die, when this life comes to an end, we have a home prepared by God, eternal in the heavens.

Remember that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God....I Cor 15:50

1 Corinthians 15:53 ESV

53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

But there is no reason to fear, God has given us something wonderful...

There is no reason to fear death my friends, for God has already prepared us a home the immortal dwelling so we can stand in His presence.

And we long for that, we eagerly await that day… go back to our text.

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 5:1–3 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, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.

2 Corinthians 5:1–5 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, 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. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

We long for that dwelling while in this life, why? Mankind understands this is not it… this is not the best God has to offer us.. this place is broken and so are we.

So we long for the next… Don’t beleive me, look back to the gospels and see the soul satisfying joy of redemption. People were in torment, in sin, hurting and being hurt and when they found Jesus.. peace..

I love the story the man in the land of Gadara, he as filled with a legion of demons, and when he came to Jesus and found the life changing message and hope that Jesus had to offer, we find the next picture of him in his right mind sitting at the feet of the Savior…WOW!

That is the first matter of satisfaction in a believers life, the second it heaven and all that it offers. And so we groan, verse 2 longing to put on our heaven dwelling.

Why? Verse 3 tells us

2 Corinthians 5:3 ESV

3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.

2 Co

We do not want to be found naked.

Listen, we must have something, a body and home, something if we hope to stand in the presence of Jesus. The old has died, so what will we have… for the present time… until the day of the rapture we have a home, a tabernacle, a house not made with hands that is eternal in the heavens.

God has prepared us a spiritual body, a garment, a vessel to satisfy the soul until the day of his return. And then the dead in Christ will be raised and the old body will be glorified, changed and for those who have died, their soul will rejoin that Body..

Anyone who is alive and remain at his return, that person is caught up in the air and changed, made eternal.

Oh my friends, that is the promise of Jesus.. if we pass, die whatever you want to call it, before his return. Understand we will be in his presence clothed, waiting and worshipping for the great day of the Lord.

Resurrection day for all those in Christ

Aren’t you glad He has taken care of us in so many ways, He has thought of every little detail until we see Jesus...

And it is a promise.... how do we know, verse 5 tells us.

2 Corinthians 5:5 ESV

5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

The Holy Spirit, He is given to us, all of us who are in Christ as a guarantee of the good things to come...

How that is a promise. sealed in Him so that we can be seated with Him.

Now this brings me to my third thought of the day....

I know as a child of God, faith is a topic we talk a lot about, and rightly so. Faith is the essential ingredient of our walk with the Lord. Without faith, we would have nothing, but by faith.. we reach out and take hold of the good things to come...

Lets return to our text and I will explain it more...

2 Corinthians 5:6–10 ESV

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, 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. 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.

2 Corinthians 5:6–9 ESV

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, 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. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

The phrase “good courage or also referred to a confident” in the Scriptures remind us that there is nothing to fear in this life.

For Paul there was suffering, hardships and even the treat of death. But Paul was not troubled by these, because he held a unique confidence.

He was in Christ.

Listen my freinds, being in Christ is the blessing that holds us together, that gives us joy, strength and peace.

So for Paul, if he was present in the body.. he was away from the Lord. And while he longed to see Jesus, he had strength for each passing day.. He could complete the will of God that was set before him.

And if his state changed and he was sound to be away from the body, death had come.. well he was happy, because he would be with the Lord.

Either way I am a champion because I am in Christ and I am changed into His likeness.

If you read on down in this passage, Paul says...

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

But until that day… Paul says we walk by faith and not by sight.

Why would Paul say that..... Here is a important thought my friends.

If we fail to live by faith, we will not get very far.

For Paul, He faced a great set of challenges, he was persecuted, beaten, stoned and thrown into prison for the sake of the gospel, the devil opposed him greatly… If he consider all that was around him, He might give up considering it through natural eyes...

But faith, the unrelenting trust in Jesus to walk with him, empower Him, strengthen Him, sustain Him and yes keep him until the day of His departure… Paul could live and walk faithfully with the Lord.

So Paul testifies that through all of this. His aim was to be pleasing to Jesus.

Look back at verse 9

2 Corinthians 5:9 ESV

9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

Paul has testified to this desire more than once

Colossians 1:10 ESV

10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Ask yourself this question, are you pleasing the Lord with your life, your witness, your work, with you?

Living and being pleasing to the Lord was important for Paul, for he knew one day He would have to give an account for how he had lived in front of the Lord.

Yes Paul was saved, nothing would change that… and if you are a born again believer nothing changes your life in Christ… But we still must answer for how we have lived.

Verse 10

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

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.

What does that verse really mean… Well we must all appear is fairly evident, we will stand before him… to give an account.

says

1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV

5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

I believe when the Christian stands before Jesus, your life is laid bare.. what you did or didn;t do is known. You good and bad, success and failures… how sad it will be to see our failures in front of Jesus and have nothing worthy to say except I am sorry.

Now remember this is different than the judgment of the lost, those who have not been saved.... Revelation tells us of the end time resurrection of the dead, and their judgment before the Great White Throne.

So for the child of God, we should live by faith until we see Jesus..

That is our goal until we stand in His presence, until we take hold of what He has prepared for us.

Life has problems, afflictions..

Remember the promise

Walk by faith, until we see Jesus.

a heavenly body

Give an account

2 Corinthians 4 ESV

1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 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.

2 Cor 4

2 Corinthians 5 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, 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. 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, 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. 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. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Our Dwelling to Come...

Introduction

1. Life has Momentary Afflictions....

2. A Wonderful Promise

2. A Wonderful Promise

A. A New Dwelling Awaits:

B. We Long for that Dwelling....

3. Exhibit Faith until that Day...