Hello dear friends,
I pray the enduring love of Christ will fill your heart today,
The Scriptures record Jesus raising 3 people from the dead. Last Sunday I spoke about him raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead in Luke 8. She was a 12-year-old girl. In Luke 7 Jesus raised a Widow’s one and only son from the dead. They were actually carrying him out to bury him when Jesus interrupted the funeral. Then in John 11 we have the story of Jesus raising His friend Lazarus from the dead. He had been in the tomb for four days. His sister protested, but Jesus urged her to believe in Him. The greatest resurrection comes at the end of all the gospels when Jesus Himself is raised from the dead. So death isn’t the end, it is simply a transition into a different kind of life.
This morning I learned the news of a friend who had passed away. His name: Chuck Sullenger. Chuck was a man of God and he had helped us many times here at Grace Baptist. He was the first one to roto-till our garden. He and his wife Joy were often here helping out in the garden. He had done a number of favors for me through the years. His brother John and his wife Shirley were tenants of mine. When we sold our home in the country and moved to town John and Shirley had to move on. Chuck’s wife, Joy, is sister to Alice Pender our organist. It was a sad loss, yet because Chuck has been ill for some time, it was also a bit of relief. So what happens when a believer dies? We will take a look at 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 for some insights…
“1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NIV2011)
So what do we know? We know that we have a building from God waiting for us. Our current body is likened to an “earthly tent.” This is a temporary shelter and not made for eternity. A tent, though it may be nice, just cannot stand the strain of constant wear and tear. One day our “earthly tent” will be destroyed. In other words, we will die. The Bible tells us that we are all appointed to die, Heb. 9:27, so this is inevitable, unless of course Jesus returns before our appointed time. So our house here is nothing more than an earthly tent, (and mine seems to be sagging a bit) but in heaven we have a building from God, not made by human hands. That will be our eternal house. This is a figurative way of saying we will have new bodies. Paul is NOT speaking of the believer’s heavenly home that Jesus spoke of in John 14:1-6. Rather he is speaking of a glorified body.
So how do we know this is true? We know it because we can trust the Word of God. This isn’t some kind of religious speculation, rather it is a result of God plainly telling us. It is written in His Word. Jesus was clear about it. Before His death He said, “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live,” John 14:19. And He did rise from the dead and now lives forevermore. The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. It provides us assurance and hope. It says that what Jesus said was true. He is believable because His words proved to be true. Jesus claims to be the “truth,” John 14:6.
What happens in the meantime? We groan. That’s what verse 2 says. Why? Because we are longing for something more. Something better. Something that we were made for in the first place. The fact that we inwardly groan tells us this is true. We all long to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. Life shouldn’t be this way. When God created life He said it was “Good.” But now, because of the fall—life isn’t so nice. We want more. We want eternity. Every ache and disappointment and death testifies that something went wrong and we all want it to be right again. We long for more.
Verse 3 gives us the reason… “Because we are clothed, we will not be found naked.” I take that to mean that when we are raised to life and truly “clothed” with our new bodies, we will not be found naked. That is to say… dead without a body; outside our earthly tent. Our earthly tents are getting older, more worn, saggy, and weak—but we were made for eternity so our spirits long for the heavenly dwelling which will not perish. There is a huge difference between our mortal bodies and our heavenly bodies. But while we are in this tent—we don’t wish to die (unclothed) but instead we are looking for that greater body that we are promised in Christ. Paul is saying in verse 4 this longing should cause us to want our current lives swallowed up by life. Jesus declared that He is life itself, John 14:6. He is to become our “All in all,” so that whatever we do in word or deed, we do it to the glory of God.
In fact, this represents God’s purpose for us in the first place. The “One who fashioned us,” is God, see verse 5. It is His idea that we might be swallowed up by Him who IS life while we are here on this earth in earthly tents. He gave us His Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. The fact of Christ in us is a guarantee that God is going to do what He said. A new life is coming which is far greater than the one we are experiencing. The word translated “deposit” in modern Greek means “engagement ring.” The church is engaged to Jesus Christ and is waiting for the Bridegroom to come and take her to the wedding. The Apostle Paul says essentially the same thing in Ephesians 1:13-14 saying, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory”
So now HOW should we live as we await our new “heavenly dwelling?” Verses 6-8 will clue us in. “6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
The result should be confident living. We don’t have to worry, fret, doubt, or wonder “IF” this will ever happen. It is a done deal, signed by the blood of Christ. We can and should be confident—we can count on this one day becoming a reality. It stands to reason now that we are at home in the body (our earthly tent) and away from the Lord (being clothed with an eternal dwelling.) Don’t worry, Jesus will come for us at the proper time and we will inherit immortality. This requires faith in what God says is true. Why? Because right now we are asked to live by faith—trusting in what God has said and provided via His Spirit. Being obedient to Him in all things. We are not to live by sight meaning: discounting what God says because we can’t see it yet. Don’t walk in the flesh as if there is no God. Don’t act as if the resurrection never happened. Don’t walk by sight, rather, walk supernaturally by faith. Doing what God has shown you to do.
The Apostle Paul was confident. In fact, he would prefer to be away from the body (that is, unclothed of his body—dead), why? Because he knew without a shadow of a doubt the truth of God’s promises. He saw the risen Christ. He heard Him speak. A man who was once crucified, Paul saw alive and full of glory! It changed his life. It should change ours. Given the option he would rather put on immortality and live in his eternal house in heaven. He didn’t have a death wish. He simply knew of the reality of God’s promise. So in verse 9 and 10 Paul applies these truths for us and instructs us how to live as we await Christ’s return. Listen to these words…
“9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
What is the goal? Our goal is to please Him whether we are alive (at home in the body) or dead (away from the body). We are not here to please ourselves, not to please others, the goal is to please the Lord. In pleasing Him, I’m sure that we will please others because of the distinct Christian lifestyle we are living. If we put Him first, He will add all the other things we need as a by-product. See Matthew 6:33. Remember, the Bible says that “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6. So we walk by faith and not sight.
But there is another caveat in all of this. Paul says that we will appear before the judgement seat of Christ so that we might receive what is due us. The idea here is that there will be some rewards given out. Much like the athletes at the Olympics, they train and try their hardest so that they might win Gold in the competition. They have a goal to compete with their best to win an earthly medal. In the same way we are to compete to please the Lord as if to win an eternal medal figuratively. What we do here and now makes a difference in all of eternity. If we do good, we will be rewarded accordingly. If we do poorly—not so much. This provides additional incentive for the believer to do their best to please the Lord in everything.
Dear friends, consider what a great promise this is. Consider how sure this is. God has given us the Spirit as a promise guaranteeing what is to come. Does it thrill your heart? Draw close to the Savior and tell Him how much you appreciate what He has done for you. Tell Him that you want to please Him and walk by faith. Tell Him that you believe what He has said and you are trusting in His word. Then in everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all to the glory of Christ. Let’s be living for that Great Day.
Benediction:
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 1:24-25 (NIV2011)
Pastor Russ Hilsinger,
Grace Baptist Church of Dallas, OR