Not By Sight (2 Corinthians 5:1-7)

Introduction- Faith Is Fundamental to Christianity

It takes faith to become a Christian

Its is by grace we have been saved THROUGH faith

To even be able to say that Jesus I believe in my heart that you are Lord. A man you have never seen. To be able to say and confess with your mouth that God raised Him from the dead, without actually ever seeing it happen takes faith.

To say that a man that you have never saw with your own eyes, died on the cross for your sins takes faith.

Hebrews 11:6a But without faith it is impossible to please him.

Do we have to please God to enter the kingdom of heaven? What does the word “Please” mean?

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

2 Corinthians 5: 1-7

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

1. A Tent is Temporary.

a. We have an eternal home in heaven. (v1)

You Aren’t Comfortable for a reason (v2)

Is there comfort or acceptance that your limited life is all there is. No? There is a reason.

Eccli. 3:11 NIV- Eternity is in our hearts

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

We know we aren’t home.

Illustration: Alli’s rental and visiting her house that was being built.

b. A new dwelling place awaits you in heaven (v4)

Our soul longs for its eternal home

c. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us (v5)

The HS is our deposit, He secures us of the covenant made that one day we will have an eternal home.

d. We may start to feel at home (v6)

Remember we are in this rental temporarily

Treat the rental property with care for when the landlord returns. Our body is a Temple.

If we are here temporarily we must learn how to walk in this earth while we are here.

2. A Comparison Sight or Faith?

1/2. Walk/Living By Sight

a. We are born into the world blind.

Satan blinds the mind of unbelievers

2 Corinthians 4:4

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.

b. What are you seeing that causes doubt?

The more of the world the less of faith.

We say we will believe it when we see it. When you see it may be too late.

Jesus says blessed are those who believe without seeing John 20:29

Ask your self- What am I seeing in my life that is making me have a lack of faith?

Do you rely heavily on what you see with your eyes?

c. Each person feels correct in their own ways

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts. Proverbs 21:2

All Equally blinded

A lack of faith leads to sin 2 Timothy 3:1-7

2 Timothy 3:1–7 LEB

But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come, for people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, hardhearted, irreconcilable, slanderous, without self-control, savage, with no interest for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God, maintaining a form of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid these people. For from these are those who slip into houses and captivate foolish women loaded down with sins, led by various kinds of desires, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Exp- Homosexuality, Murder, School Shootings, Dishonor, No God

2/2. Walk/Living By Faith

Illustration- Blind Person being led.

If you were blind, and you had someone to guide you around. You would have to place faith in whoever it is that is guiding you. That they would be leading you to a place in which you would not become injured, that you would not be harmed along the journey. You would have to have faith that they have your best interest in mind, or you would stay stagnant.

That is why we have to WALK by faith. So are you walking or are you stagnant, and if your life is stagnant is it because you do not have faith at all or don’t have faith in your guide, so you cannot walk.

A blind person with no cane and no guidance in an unknown territory would be at great risk to what surrounds them. Because one of their senses does not work as it has been created to.

We have sinned , and so we were created to not live in a world full of darkness cause by sin. We do because of the consequence of our actions. So, essentially every one of us is born with a disability you could say. We have to walk by faith, why?

Satan has caused darkness and blindness.

We used to walk with God. Adam would walk with God in the cool of the day, he wouldn't have to walk by faith. He had encountered and maybe even seen God. So, it was easy for Adam to walk with God, until sin and darkness entered his life.

We must walk by Faith from, since we were born and elected ourselves into sin. Sin caused a separation between God and man. We can no longer see God because of our sin, so we must walk by faith with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Just like the disability of a blind individual, we also are blind without Jesus as our Shepard. Blind to a spiritual world that can easily attack us in our darkness. When we have faith in Jesus that allows us so many more opportunities.

If we walk only by sight we don't walk by faith. When we see what is before us we make the conclusion that this is all there is. We deny that there is more than what we see. We must walk by faith.

a. His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Psalm 119:105–106 (LEB)

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to heed your righteous ordinances.

-If we are not in His word, have his word or, believe His word we are blind.

-What good is a lamp if we don’t use it. Some of us have his lamp but don’t use it.

b. By faith

Luke 18:40–43 (LEB)

So Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought to him. And when he approached, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, that I may regain my sight. And Jesus said to him, “Regain your sight! Your faith has saved you.” And immediately he regained his sight and began to follow him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

the blind man believed he could be healed he had evidence in something he hoped for, he was assured of something he did not see.

It was not anything but Christ’s words and his faith that made him well.

It is what you believe that will cause you to save your life or loose it.

As soon as we become saved and can see we must immediately follow Him. He is what causes light and allows us to see.

c. According to the Spirit

Walk according to the spirit to avoid sin

Galatians 5:16–18 (NKJV)

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

- Sin of this world-

Galatians 5: 19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: [a]adultery, [b]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [c]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Final Statement-

When we come to Christ our mind is illuminated, and we put on the helmet and our mind is protected.

a.Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

b. A helmet protects your brain, most important part of body

c. We are always told to wear what when riding our bike

d. Is your head protected?

We battle not against flesh and blood

PRAY!!!