JUST A-PASSING THROUGH

JUST A-PASSING THROUGH

2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-9

INTRODUCTION- Who here is tired of the struggle of life?

1. There is an unfortunate amount of people who believe that when Christians are saved, the suffering ends.

2. There is a hymn that we have all sung at one time or another, and it goes:

“This world is not my home, I‘m just a-passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;

The angels beckon me through heaven’s open door,

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

3. One of the most amazing things about the Bible to me is that it shows us examples of the true and very real struggles that people experienced.

4. Let us examine some of the language that Paul used to describe the life that we now lead as Christians.

5. What is Paul saying?

6. He is saying that, as Christians, we SEE life differently.

7. As we look, let us be encouraged as we are “JUST A-PASSING THROUGH.”

I. We see this life as a Tragic Time (2 Corinthians 5:2-4).

A. Tragic times were nothing new to people in the Old Testament.

1.Joseph was sold by his brother into slavery, could you imagine? (Genesis chapter 37).

2.Job had everything he possessed taken from him (Job 3:1-9).

B. Tragic times were nothing new to people in the New Testament.

1.There is no greater example in the New Testament of suffering, other than Christ, than Paul (2 Corinthians 11:24-28).

2.We can now understand better, the words Paul uses to describe this life and its tragedies:

a) “groan”, v. 2; this word means “to sigh heavily within;”

b) “burdened,” v. 4; this word means “to be pressed down on the inside;”

c) “mortality,” v. 4, this word refers to “that which is mortal or liable to death.”

C. Tragic times are nothing new to us today as well.

1.Times are different, but nothing is new (Eccl. 1:9).

2.Irish poet William Butler Yeats once said “If suffering brings wisdom, I would wish to be less wise.”

3.Still, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that if we are in this world, we will face trials and troubles (Job 14:1; John 16:33; Eccl. 2:22-23).

II. We see this life as a Testing Time (2 Corinthians 5:7-9).

A. Testing times were nothing new to Old Testament people.

1.Abraham was a man of faith that was tested, repeatedly.

a) The test of leaving his father’s house and homeland (Genesis 12:1-7).

b) The test of sacrificing his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-12).

2.How difficult do you think it would be to walk your child to their death?

3.Let us all notice common threads between the tests and Abraham’s response:

a) Absolute faith.

b) Absolute obedience.

B. Testing times were nothing new to New Testament people.

1.Paul was a man of faith that was tested, repeatedly.

2.Let us, once again, look at the language that is used:

a) We are told that we are to navigate this world “walking by faith.”

b) God allows us to pass through all the events of life, all the trials, the tragedies, and the traumas to prepare us for glory.

c) “Labour” is defined as “work, especially hard physical work.” God can use the pressures of this life to remake us into His perfect image (2 Corinthians 4:17; Romans 8:18).

d) That is exactly what God wants for us, to be made in His image, in every way (Ephesians 4:13-15).

III. We see this life as a Temporary Time (2 Corinthians 5:1,5-6).

A. People in the Old Testament knew of their temporary time.

1.Enoch dedicated his time to God, because he knew how little he had (Genesis 5:22; Hebrews 11:5).

2.Noah was a man who knew his time was temporary and used it wisely (Genesis 6:13,22).

B. People in the New Testament knew of their temporary time.

1.Let us, look closer at how Paul described our time here:

a) Tabernacle:

i. The word “Tabernacle” refers to a “tent, or a temporary dwelling.”

ii. Tabernacle is used as a metaphor for these human bodies, which are a temporary home for us, which will be taken down at death.

b) Dissolved:

i. The word “dissolved” means “to demolish, to destroy, or to loosen.”

ii. All these descriptive terms are meant to be applied to something that is temporary.

2.Life is a temporary time, and these mortal bodies will fall away and the bonds that hold us to this world will fall away and we are left to remember:

a) The Blessing-The suffering that we will experience will not last forever.

b) The Burden- The fact that our lives are temporary does not make it easier.

CONCLUSION-

1. James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

2. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

One day, a preacher who had lost his family in a tragic fire was walking through town. His mind was troubled by questions related to faith. In fact, because of his tragedy, he was seriously thinking about quitting on the Lord. He wondered how a God, whom he had thought was so good, could allow something so terrible to happen to him and his family.

As he walked, he passed a construction site where a huge cathedral was being built. As he watched the men work, he noticed one man carving a small triangle out of granite with a chisel and a hammer. The preacher called out to the stone mason and asked him what he was making. The workman stopped and pointed to a place near the top of that great cathedral. He said, “Do you see that tiny, open triangle near the top of the roof?” The preacher answered, “Yes.” “Well, said the workman, “I am carving this out down here so that it will fit in up there.” Then the preacher understood what God was doing. The Lord was merely carving him out down here so that he would fit in up there. Friends, our trials were not sent to destroy us, but to shape us for His glory. So, when we see this time as temporary, we should value it that much more.