There's More to Living Than Dying
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There’s More To Living Than Dying.
There’s More To Living Than Dying.
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.
Nobody works these days.
How many times have you said, “I wish I didn’t have to go to work today?” or how many times have you thought, “There’s gotta be more to life than this?”
And now, you’re either not going to work or you couldn’t if you wanted to- and everything’s a little whacky, isn’t it? Can’t leave, can’t go, can’t.... even if you wanted to.
And it’s getting monotonous, and boring, and your nerves can be a bit on edge. People are edgy, the dog’s a little edgy…
there’s gotta be more than this.
Most Christians know what Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 5:1
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.
We know that, right. I mean, we grew up with sunday school, our parents, our preachers, everyone telling us that heaven was like this goal for Christians- the place you wanna land and hope you land when your life is over.
But please understand what Paul is saying- not that he hopes- but rather, that is. We KNOW..... that if the tent of our earthlyhome is destroyed… Right? We KNOW.
And so, my question for you today is, so what? What difference does that make for you in the middle of life or in the milled of the Pandemic Covid 19 situation- what difference does the knowledge of heaven make for you?
Look at what Paul says in 2 Cor. 5.2
2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
In this “tent” we groan. Now, Paul was a tentmaker- and a lot of people lived in tents; but it wasn’t easy. Paul is talking about life, about this life, and he says it’ll make you groan.... right?
Right now, a lot of us are groaning.
1,204,000 infected in the world. Now 190,000,000. 64,806 deaths. 4,083,000 deaths. over 312,000 (34,000,000) infected in the us, over 8500 deaths (608.898). In Ohio, over 3700 infected,(1,116,000) over 100 deaths (20,437). And in STark county, 92 infections 33.610) (2 deaths(937 ).
And this morning you are in the shadow of 2 hospitals who are asking the community for gloves and masks. And outdoor tents are set up. And you can’t be with those you love. And you while you feel like neighboring with your neighbors now, you just aren’t sure you can do it like you’d like.
We groan. I groan. Are you groaning?
Life is looking like death right now, and it’s unsettling.
look at what Paul says in 2 Cor 5.3-4
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.
Paul is saying, we are here in this body- this tent, and we are burdened with all that’s going on around us.
Church, a little over a month ago it was our bills, our cars, our kids, and our friends. Those were our burdens. You know what I mean?
Those were our burdens. And Paul says, we want to put on the new stuff. We want the new tent, the new clothing that isn’t so burdensome.
All of this death and destruction can be swallowed up in the life that Christ has promised us.... but it just needs to get here.
And this is the time to talk about how you view this passage: We read this passage at funerals, and it’s precisely because of the way we look at life. We look at life as we hopefully get our 3 score and ten and then we die- right. We make it to retirement and we try to get in as much living as we can before we die- right? And the whole time we are driving the car to this mythical place called retirement just before death, we are hopeful that death doesn’t move on our road map and get to us early- right?
We read this passage in the light of our understanding of death coming- hopefully old age, possibly sickness or and accident, but we know we are going to die- right? Currently that view is overemphasized in the situation we are in with this pandemic. The volume has been turned up on the possibility of death.
Paul didn’t see it that way. And that is not what He wants us to see in this passage, church!
Paul never expected that cancer, or an accident, or Covid-19 would take him out. He did later in life realize he would probably die- but in his early ministry death was not on his radar.
He thought Christ would return first.1 Thessalonians 4:15 ESV
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
In 1 Cor. 15.51
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Paul was late in his ministry, during his time in Asia, when he realized he may not survive for the return of Christ, and may die first. Look at 2 Cor. 1.8-11
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
So, while you and I are reading this with our death in the back of our mind, Paul didn’t necessarily write it that way. He’s saying in the midst of calamity and hardship there’s something Christ has given the Christian to put on that we need to entertain. He wasn’t saying this is all pointing us to death- no, he was saying we need to live. There is something more- and it’s life in Christ.
And look at that 5th verse, 2 Cor. 5.5
5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
Christ has given us His Spirit as a down payment. A Promise, that in spite of all that’s going on around us, there’s something better and it’s life.
Remember when Jesus said things like this:
4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
I have 2 friends who have found their birth parents, but now they are dying.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Look closely. Listen closely to what Jesus said. Because I live- YOU WILL LIVE! YOU WILL LIVE!!
Now, in that context, look at what Paul says.... in 2 Cor 5.4
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.
Yes, we groan in this life. We are even burdened. But , we shouldn’t want to take it all off.... we should actually want to put it all ON!!! Put MORE on!!! Listen, look at what Paul says, “what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
Mortal- it means death. Mortal.... all of the death… for the Christian, when you put more on the life of Christ shines through and it swallows up death.... the LIFE of Christ shines through.
AND, get this.... in 2 Corinthians 5.5
5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
We were made for this. Get that point. WE WERE MADE FOR THIS!!!
Paul had experienced so much. Shipwrecked twice, jailed, beaten and left for dead… He had seriously been throught some stuff, right?
Look at 2 Cor. 4.7-11
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.
Life may afflict us, we won’t be crushed.
Life may perplex us, but we won’t be driven to despair.
Life may seem like we’re being persecuted- but we’ve never been left alone.
We may seem overwhelmed, but we’ve not been destroyed.
As a Christian, when it seems like death is at the door- remember that Christ built this house!
For the Christian, when it seems like we’re dying- the life of Jesus is being revealed in us.
English Standard Version Chapter 8
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Bottom Line: There’s SO Much More To Living Than Dying.
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.