"...An Eternal Home in Heaven" 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
I was at the funeral for Karen Douglas’ brother, David Mitchell, just two weeks ago. It was such a great celebration of David’s life that took place at Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church here in Oklahoma City. Several people got up, family members as well as friends, to share how God had used David to make an impact on their lives. It was such a beautiful testimony of how one life can make a difference when that life is lived for God’s glory.To be honest, I’ve forgotten some of what was shared with those of us who were seated in the congregation that morning, but there was something that took place that morning I will never forget as long as I live. As we prepared to close out the service the pastor opened God’s Word and lifted our eyes and hearts so that we might see beyond the loss of David. He read to us from Paul’s last letter, 2 Timothy 4:6-8. Let me share it with you.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV)
This letter is the last letter Paul penned. He was being held in a Roman prison awaiting his execution, his beheading at the hands of Emperor Nero. Pastor Douglas really just spoke to us about one phrase in these three verses penned by Paul: “...for my departure is near.” The pastor shared with us the Greek word for “departure,” used in verse 6, is “????????” (analysis) which means, “to loose, to release, or to depart.” He shared with us how the word was used to describe the loosening of chains or bonds that held prisoners. He said the same word was used to describe how nomadic people would take down their tents when they were ready to move to another location. Then the pastor shared with us another way the same Greek word was used in Paul’s day. He said this word was used for the loosening of the mooring ropes of a ship to free it from the dock. So many times Paul had taken ships on his missionary journeys across the Mediterranean. He had stood on the deck and watched the ship be pushed out to sea as the wind filled the sails. When Paul wrote Timothy, he was preparing to launch out for the last time. Pastor Douglas said when loved ones board a ship for a long journey, family and friends gather beside the ship to see them off. Everyone waves and tears flow down their faces because they know they will miss their loved one while they are gone. Oh, but that ship is headed somewhere and there are others who are waiting on a distant shore to receive their loved one into their arms. Those on the shore who watch the ship depart don’t move until the ship disappears in the distance. They keep watching and waving, wiping their tears, and then someone says, “There he goes.” All the while there are others who are on that distant shore who are anxiously awaiting until they see the ship appear in the distance. Someone cries out, “Here he comes! Here he comes!” as excitement pours from every fiber of their being and tears of joy flow from their eyes. “Here he comes! Here he comes!” And this is why Paul could write to the people in Thessalonica,
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT)
Each of us who are here this morning have experienced the departure of loved ones. We’ve had to say goodbye to those we love. Some of you have traveled all over the world, others have barely left the city limits of Oklahoma City, but for each and every one of us our departure from this life is certain. We are all going to die one day and maybe much sooner than we anticipate. The last time we were together we finished our study of 2 Corinthians 4 by learning that “these light and momentary troubles,” the sorrows, trials, and troubles that we all go through in this life–they will be far outweighed by the eternal glory that will be ours, those who are followers of Jesus, one day. Even a life filled with sorrow and heartache is limited by time, there is a day coming when it will all be over. What then? What awaits us when this life is over? As we turn to 2 Corinthians 5, Paul shares with us what God has in store for His own, for those who are followers of Jesus. Let’s read verses 1-10 and then we will see what we can learn.
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. 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. 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. (2 Corinthians 5:1-10 NIV)
I read an article this past week that traced a shift that has taken place in churches over the past several decades. Church leaders used to speak and teach about heaven much more frequently in the past, but today we hear much more teaching about how God can help us have a better life in the here and now. One of my favorite old dead preachers, Dr. Martyn LLoyd-Jones once said, "If a philosophy of life cannot help me to die, then in a sense it cannot help me to live." Over the next two weeks, as we make our way through the first ten verses of 2 Corinthians 5, we will understand the truth of what Dr. Lloyd-Jones has said. In the first verse of chapter 5, Paul writes,
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 Corinthians 5:1 NIV)
It is so comforting to read “For we know…” Paul is not speculating about what awaits him when his life finally comes to an end. He says, “For we know…” If you will remember back a few weeks then you will remember that, in 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul described our earthly bodies as “jars of clay.” Our bodies are fragile, they are breaking down, and they will wear out in time–it is inevitable. In the next verses Paul described his experience in life as being “hard pressed on every side…perplexed…persecuted…and struck down.” In all of these experiences he was not “crushed…in despair…abandoned…or destroyed.” How so? How could Paul experience the hardships of life, the sorrows of life, and not be crushed and destroyed? Where did Paul find the strength to endure life’s hardships? How did he not fear losing his life as he traveled around sharing the gospel in hostile environments? The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. Even if I lose my life, if this “earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” Many Bible teachers point out that by comparing an “earthly tent” to a “building from God,” Paul is highlighting the difference between the temporary and the eternal. This life, even for the youngest among us, is passing away, but for those in Christ an eternal home awaits us! Paul makes it clear that the “building,” our eternal residence, is from God. As I was studying these verses this past week I thought about what Jesus told His disciples as He was preparing to leave them, when He would be arrested and crucified. No more comforting words have ever been spoken. Turn with me to John 14:1-3. Jesus told His disciples,
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3 NIV)
Did you hear that? Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you.” If you are a follower of Jesus, He has gone to prepare a place for you, a building from God, an eternal home. What a blessing! One day will be “moving day,” the day we move out of this earthly tent and into our eternal home–what a day that will be! That day has already come for Paul, but it hasn’t yet come for you and me so let’s move on to verses 2-3. Paul writes,
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. (2 Corinthians 5:2-3 NIV)
“...we groan.” This Greek word translated “groan” could be used in the ancient world for complaining. I think we can safely say that we still use the word in the same way today. When we encounter the hardships of life, the troubles we go through in life, we tend to complain. This is not the groaning Paul has in mind. The suffering and sorrow Paul encountered in life caused him to long for his “heavenly dwelling.” These verses have been a real eye-opener for me this past week. I’ve gone back in my mind, through the past many years, and tried to count the times I’ve longed for heaven. I’m embarrassed to tell you that they are few and far between. The heartaches and trials have been many, but for the most part they haven’t led me to long for heaven. They have led me to cry out to God for relief, for strength and comfort, but rarely have they caused me to long for heaven. Do you remember how Paul described all of the horrible experiences we have suffered in life as “our light and momentary troubles?” When you go through the lists of all that Paul suffered there is no way that any of us would consider what he endured to be “light and momentary.” Neither would we categorize those times that we have been absolutely broken and shattered as “light and momentary.” But Paul is able to describe all that he endured and all that we have endured, and will have to endure, as “light and momentary” because he was not focused on what he suffered compared to what others were suffering or because he was able to look on the bright side and say, “It could be so much worse.” He was able to consider his trials, and urge us to consider our troubles, as “light and momentary” because he was looking to the “eternal weight of glory” of his heavenly home. Read 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 with me so you can see what I am talking about.
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV)
We are to fix our eyes on the unseen, our glorious eternity with the Father in the home He has prepared for us, and not on the seen, the troubles and sorrow of this life. If we fixate on the troubles of this life, the heartache of this life, then we are sure to be undone and destroyed. I have known so many people who have been paralyzed by the hardships of life, by the loss of loved ones, by relationships that have fallen apart, children who have twisted off, and excruciatingly painful experiences they never dreamed they would have to endure. Yet, when given the opportunity to trust the Lord, to focus on the unseen instead of the seen, they say, “I can only believe in that which I can see. You’ll have to show it to me.” Many years ago there was a young woman who was studying to be a doctor at the OU Medical School. She began attending our church. One of her classmates had been coming to BCC for several years. The young woman came to see me after worship one day. She told me, “I’ve been sitting in class and learning about the intricacies of our bodies and for some reason I just have to believe that it just didn’t happen by chance or some process of evolution.” She continued to come to worship and one day she gave her life to Christ. The young woman had a brother who was super smart, but not a believer. She began to pray for him and invite him to come to church. I was having lunch with him one day when he told me just what I shared with you earlier. “Mike, I would like to believe. I think Jesus was wonderful. He did so many great things and we should all try to live like Jesus, but I just can’t believe He died and then rose from the dead. I would have to see it to believe it. I don’t have faith. I have to have proof.”About one year later, he showed up here at the church on his Harley. He was in a fix and needed help. The woman who was in charge of caring for all of the plants at his office was a Christian. He had fallen in love with her, but that was a problem. When I asked him “Why it was a problem?” He said, “She is a Christian and I’m not. Doesn’t the Bible say a Christian shouldn’t marry a non-Christian? I care so much for her that I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her or her relationship with God.” I was stunned. I’ve known Christians who married someone who wasn’t a follower of Jesus, but I don’t think I had ever met someone like my friend. I said, “You are right. That’s exactly what the Bible says.” He said, “What should I do?” I said, “Let me ask you something. You told me that you can’t have faith, you have to know, to see, to have proof, right?” He agreed. I asked him, “What proof do you have that she will continue to love you, that she will be faithful to you, that she will never leave you?” He said, “I don’t, but I believe that she loves me and cares for me.” I said, “Oh, so you don’t have any proof, no tried and tested data to back up your decision. What you have is faith. If you have faith that a person who is as flawed and fallible as you could love you for the rest of your life, how could you not have faith that God loves you even more and was willing to go to the extreme of giving His Son for you so that you could be reconciled to Him?” My friend didn’t realize he had faith after all. That day he put his faith in Jesus and was baptized. And yes, he did marry the girl, and they’ve been happily married for 22 years now. We all have faith, but the question is, “Have we placed our faith in the right place?” Do we have faith that what God says is true whether we can see it or not? Will we trust that though we’ve never been to heaven, never seen heaven, and never met someone who brought back a souvenir of a sliver of pearl from the pearly gates–we can know that God is true to His promise? We can trust Jesus when He said He was going to prepare a place for us. The groanings of this life are not going to end as long as we are living in this earthly body. One trial will lead to another. One heartache will begin to fade only to be replaced by another. As much as we try to hold on to our youthfulness, old age is creeping in upon us and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I read this past week that LeBron James spends $1.5 million a year to stay young. Cryotherapy, hyperbaric therapy, a personal chef to fix healthy meals, personal trainers, and the list goes on and on and on. An article in Fortune Magazine, which came out on February 1 of this year, told the story of Bryan Johnson, the incredibly rich California CEO who is 45 years old, but is spending $2 million a year to try and achieve the body of an 18 year old. Bryan has a team of 30 doctors who have come up with a strict regime for him to follow so he can try and achieve his goal. In the article, Dr. Andrew Steele, who is a longevity scientist and author of Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old, says,
The real challenge is that we just haven’t got anything that I would confidently recommend that can slow down the aging process beyond the obvious stuff of diet and exercise. (Fortune. The 45-year-old CEO spending $2 million a year on anti-aging is probably wasting his money, longevity expert says. 2.1.2023)
And so we groan, as the years pile up and the weight of the trials of life bear down upon us, we groan and are burdened. Paul writes, in 2 Corinthians 5:4,
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. (2 Corinthians 5:4 NIV)
Paul says, “we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling.” There are lots of ideas as to what Paul had in mind, but we have to consider Paul’s first readers who were in Corinth. They were heavily influenced by Greek philosophers who believed that the body, the material world, was evil and the only thing that mattered was the spirit. Plato believed the body was a tomb, but Paul said the bodies of believers are a temple of the Holy Spirit. For Plato, the goal was for the soul to escape the body, but Paul had a different understanding. Paul was waiting for the day when God would give him a new body, an incorruptible body. In his first letter to the people of Corinth, he wrote,
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:51-54 NIV)
I love how Paul begins verse 51, “Listen, I tell you a mystery…” We have what God has revealed to us in His Word, but we don’t have the full revelation, all of the details of what, when, and how. Paul said, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” in 2 Corinthians 5:8. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Paul wrote that when Jesus returns “the dead in Christ shall rise first.” There is much I don’t know, but there is one thing I am certain of and it is this: God fully knows and those who are His will find their home in the place He has prepared for them. Before we run out of time, let’s take a look at verse 5.
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 5:5 NIV)
Paul tells us that the very purpose of God for all of those who are in Christ, for those who are Jesus’ disciples, is that this mortal life will be swallowed up in victory when we draw our last breath in this life. It is interesting that the Greek verb which is translated “fashioned us” or “prepared us” in some other English translations is also used in 2 Corinthians 4:17 in reference to the “light and momentary troubles” which are “preparing us” for an eternal weight of glory. Through our troubles and trials God is conforming us into the image of His Son as we learn to trust Him. Through these troubles and trials of life God desires to stir within His people a longing for heaven, to be in His presence. It is the Holy Spirit who is given as a “deposit,” a downpayment if you will, on what lies ahead for you and me.Connie and I met while we were in college. The more time I spent with her, the more time I wanted to spend with her. The day came when I asked Connie to marry me. When she said, “Yes!” I gave her an engagement ring. We weren’t married at that moment, but that ring represented a promise I made and that I would fulfill one day. This is the same idea we find in the Greek word Paul used to tell us that the Holy Spirit has been given to all of Jesus’ followers as a “deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” Paul used the same word in Ephesians 1:14. Let’s back up to verse 13 and start reading there.
13 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, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV)
There was a book written several years ago by a popular preacher titled, “Your Best Life Now.” Nothing could be further from the truth. You may have a wonderful life in the here and now, but you can’t even imagine what God has in store for those who will trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Martin Luther once said, “There are only two days on my calendar, this day and that Day.” I pray that “that Day” would become more and more real to you and me and that we would long for that Day. If you are not a follower of Jesus then I want to invite you to make that commitment today. Mike HaysBritton Christian ChurchFebruary 26, 2023