Great Reward

Well, good evening, everyone.

If you haven't got a Bible in front of you,

then you need to get one.

And there are some up the back,

just out there in the foyer.

Let me be frank with you.

If you don't have a Bible, what I'm going to say

is going to get really confusing very quickly.

And you need to follow along with me.

I say that because I've been wrestling with this text all week.

And up until five minutes ago,

I'm still wrestling with this text.

And so we need God's help to see what can't be seen.

So let's pray that we might be encouraged

and we might not lose heart.

Father God, I pray that as we look at your word now,

that you might bring clarity to the confusion.

We pray that you would help us to see that which is unseen.

And that in seeing that,

and even just getting a small glimpse of it,

that it would cause us not to lose heart

as your disciples seeking to proclaim the lordship of Christ

so that everyone might bow their knee

and confess with their tongue

that Jesus is in fact Lord.

And so Lord, spirit,

we pray for the global task.

In the name of the Lord Jesus.

Amen.

I've developed quite a bad habit recently.

While I'm watching a movie on TV,

I grab my phone

and I look up the movie in Wikipedia

and read the plot summary.

And so very early on in the movie,

I know how the movie ends.

The negative side is that it spoils the end of the movie,

especially if there's some unexpected twist.

And sometimes there is.

In fact, I was looking at the TV guide last night,

wondering whether I would watch a movie,

looked at the plot summary,

went, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

And then right at the end,

something happened.

I went, oh, that'd be good,

but it's too late now.

I know what's going to happen.

The positive side of it

is that every little throwaway line

and statement and facial expression

and random event makes sense.

First time up.

The other positive side

is that I don't waste an hour or two of my life

on a dud movie

and I get a little bit more sleep.

So I feel like

that I need to do something similar now

to help us understand

2 Corinthians 4 and 5,

which is our focus

for mission month this year.

If we go to the end of the letter,

it helps us understand the beginning

and especially what's happening

in these chapters.

So you need your Bible

and flick over.

Chapter 10,

Paul starts to, if you like,

pull the curtain back

on the reason that he has penned this letter.

He's defending his ministry

against some people

who have commended themselves

to this church at Corinth.

It would seem that they're boasting

a lot about themselves.

Their ministry achievements

and their spiritual experiences

and their successes

and stuff like that.

And in the process,

they're rubbishing Paul

as if Paul's not the real deal,

that they're superior to Paul.

And so in chapter 11, verse 5,

all's revealed who these people are.

He says,

I do not think,

this is Paul speaking,

I do not think that I'm in the least inferior

to those super apostles.

And so there they are.

These are the people

that Paul has been writing about.

Right from the beginning of the letter,

the super apostles.

And he uses that term quite sarcastically

because while he's an apostle,

these guys have elevated themselves

as super apostles

over the top of every other apostle.

These guys are the real deal,

if you like.

And so these super apostles

are on the forefront of Paul's mind

as he is penning this letter

and including these chapters,

obviously in four and five

that we are focusing on.

It seems that these super apostles

were professional speakers

who got paid lots of money

for being impressive people.

They were eloquent.

They were loud.

They were funny.

They promised the world.

They were successful.

They were beautiful.

They were well-dressed.

They were sort of like

the got-it-all-together types,

if you like.

The only thing I could think of

was maybe a Tony Robbins,

if you ever know who that guy is.

If you don't, Google him

and you'll soon understand what I mean.

People looked out to them.

They wanted to be like them,

like these super apostles.

They had the kind of lives

and lifestyles

that make you envious.

And Paul's great defense

of his ministry

is at the end of chapter 11

where he joins in

on their boasting.

He draws a big breath

and he starts to say

the sort of things

that he hates to hear.

And he starts with his heritage

in verse 22 of chapter 11.

Are they Hebrews?

So am I.

Are these guys Israelites?

Me too.

Are they Abraham's attendants?

Got that one.

And then he makes a bold claim

about himself

against the super apostles.

This is where he draws the line,

if you like,

in verse 23.

Are they servants of Christ?

And he's sort of like

a little bit of a sideline here.

He goes,

I'm just mad when I say this.

And then he comes back in

and he says,

are they servants of Christ?

I am more.

That's a pretty big

sort of line in the sand

to draw at that point.

And then

what he does is

having declared

that he is in fact

the genuine apostle,

that he is

the genuine servant of Christ.

At this point,

you would expect Paul

to go on

and give his resume

like the super apostles

and talk about

his successes,

his spiritual experiences

and everything

that makes him impressive

and more impressive

than the super apostles.

But instead,

he talks about

his sufferings,

his losses

and his defeats.

Look at what he says.

I have worked much harder,

been imprisoned more frequently,

been flogged more severely,

been exposed to death

again and again.

Five times I received

from the Jews

the 40 lashes minus one.

Three times I was beaten

with rods.

Once I was stoned.

Three times I was shipwrecked.

I spent a night and day

in the open sea.

I've been constantly

on the move.

I've been in danger

from rivers,

in danger from bandits,

in danger from my own countrymen,

in danger from Gentiles,

in danger from the city,

in danger in the country,

in danger at sea

and in danger from false brothers.

I have labored and toiled

and have often gone without sleep.

I have known hunger and thirst

and have often gone without food.

I have been cold and naked

and besides everything else,

I face daily the pressure

of my concern

for all the churches.

Who is weak

and I do not feel weak.

Who is led into sin

and I do not inwardly burn.

He says,

that's what makes me

the real deal.

There is my CV

about genuine

authentic

apostleship.

The biggest issue

for the super apostles

and this church of Corinth

who have been swayed

by the super apostles

was not primarily

about Paul's teaching

but about Paul's lifestyle.

Paul's response

is that his lifestyle

is characteristic

of the way of the cross,

of a life of faith,

of following his saviour Jesus.

And so that's the perspective

that he wants us to have

as we look

at chapters 4 and 5.

That is,

he wants us to have

clay pot,

jars of clay,

takeaway containers,

expectations of life

as a disciple of Jesus.

If we understand

with clarity

that we are jars of clay,

then I think

what Paul's saying is

that if we have

that expectation,

it will help us

not to lose heart

in the global task

of proclaiming

the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

Clear expectations

and not losing heart

are in fact put together

in the passage

that you looked at

last week

in chapter 4,

verse 16.

Have a look at it.

Therefore,

we do not lose heart.

So,

we don't lose heart.

That's what he wants.

Though outwardly

we are wasting away

clay pot,

yet inwardly

we are being renewed

day by day.

We don't lose heart

even though

we are wasting away

outwardly

because

we are being renewed

inwardly

day by day.

We don't lose heart

even though the body

is falling apart

because

inwardly being renewed

day by day.

Inward renewal.

That is the key

to not losing heart.

And how does that

inward renewal

day by day happen?

He tells us

in verse 18.

We fix our eyes

not on what

is seen

but on what

is unseen.

Paul's renewed

heart

to pursue

God's global

agenda

to keep

surrendering

his life

to the Lord

Jesus Christ

and his

priorities life

comes

from something

very strange.

It comes

from looking

at what

he can't

see.

As verse

18 says

the things

he can see

are temporal

the things

he can't

see

are eternal

and it's

gazing

on the

eternal

things

that means

that he is

inwardly renewed

and encouraged

and not losing

heart.

The summary

statement

I think

is in chapter

4 verse 17.

for our

light and

momentary

troubles

those he can

see

those he can

feel

those he can

touch

are achieving

for us

an eternal

glory

that far

outweighs

them all

that he

can't see.

In other

words

the unseen

things that

Paul looks

at for

inner renewal

is the

immense

weight of

glory

that is being

prepared for

him

not just

after

but through

and by

the wasting

away of

his body

in the

pursuit

of God's

glory.

That is

there is a

correlation

between the

decay of

Paul's body

in the

service of

the Lord

Jesus

and the

display of

Paul's glory

for all

eternity.

the decaying

of his

body was

not

meaningless.

The pain

the pressure

the frustration

and affliction

it's not

happening in

vain.

They are not

causing him to

lose heart

because when

Paul is

hurting

he fixes

his eyes

not on how

heavy the

hurt is

but on how

heavy the

glory will be

because of

the hurt

in the

pursuit of

the Lord

Jesus.

Now that

bit is

crucial for

us to

get.

Because when

we look at

Paul's life

of surrender

to the

Lord Jesus

there is a

very significant

threat here.

If you

choose the

way of

surrender to

Jesus

then the

great threat

is the

loss of

everything

precious.

When you

look at the

list of

what Paul

suffered

because of

the gospel

because of

God's

global agenda

of the

gospel going

to the

ends of

the earth

the great

threat to

us is

the loss

of everything

precious

everything

that is

most precious

and that is

our life.

it's a

genuine threat.

It's a

genuine threat.

Anyone

want to

lose their

life?

No hands

go up.

I don't

think you

need to

dwell that

point.

I don't

want to

lose my

life.

I had a

great time

today.

After church

sat on the

deck of

morning tea

there and

just discussed

this passage

with a couple

of people and

it was awesome.

From that I

walked straight

over.

we had a

bunch of

people for

lunch and

we sat

down to

roast lamb

and we

talked and

it was heaps

of fun and

my lovely

wife made

it and I

love her

dearly.

My kids

are adorable.

They are

an absolute

hoot.

Basically

all the

time.

Last week

I was

visiting Hong

Kong,

meeting new

people,

seeing new

places and

to lose all

of those

things.

A threat.

And so

a life of

surrender to

Jesus looks

like a real

threat.

He may

take it.

And so

as Paul

launches into

chapter 5,

he's helping

us not to

lose heart.

To keep

surrendering all

to Jesus.

To keep

sacrificing for

God's global

cause because

in these verses

he deals with

that threat.

and the

way he

deals with

it is

you're

actually not

going to

lose it.

You think

this is

good?

All those

things I

described,

you think

this is

good?

You're

going to

get more

if you

pursue

Jesus.

Verse 1.

Now 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.

So the

contrast here

that he

says is

between the

temporary

inferior

tent that

is my

wasting away

body,

to the

eternal

superior

building that

is the

resurrected,

perfected,

eternal body

that Jesus

will give me.

And so

what he

does here

in verse

1 is he

gives us a

real dose

of realism.

Every person

experiences the

wasting away

of the body

and finally

death.

It is a

normal

experience.

We will

all experience

that at

some point.

His point

is your

life is not

secure anyway.

we live

in a tent,

not a

building.

Tents are

vulnerable and

weak.

And Paul

here wants

us to be

free from

the expectation

that we

will be

free from

fragility and

frailty while

we live in

this world,

whether we

pursue Christ

or not.

Pursue all

the security

and protection

and comfort

you like.

It won't

provide what

you want it

to.

Death looms

as a shadow

over every

life.

Which is

partly why

we groan.

Verse 2,

we groan

longing to

be clothed

with our

heavenly

dwelling because

when we

are clothed

we will

not be

found naked.

For while

we are in

this tent

we groan

and are

burdened

because we

do not

wish to

be

unclothed.

The groaning

while we're

in this tent

means that

we groan

all the

time.

Impending

death

means that

groaning

is everyone's

experience.

at any

moment

death

will bring

into question

everything that

we've held

dear.

Everything that

we have

claimed to

achieve in

this life.

But the

groaning of the

Christian has an

added element.

Verse 2 says

that we groan

because we

want the

eternal

perfected

resurrection

body.

The building

made by

God.

That's what we

groan.

We long for

it in other

words.

A resurrected

body is our

hope.

Our own

bodies will

be fitted

out eternally

perfectly

fallously

like Jesus'

body.

That's good

because a

building is so

much more

secure than

a tent.

Especially

notice when

this building

in verse 1

is built

and is coming

from God.

The eternal

God.

This building

is not made

by flawed

human hands

like mine

but made

by perfect

eternal

hands like

God.

We have

the secure

hope because

of the great

treasure of

the gospel.

That's why

we get this

building.

I haven't

made it with

my hands.

God has

made it for

me.

For me,

a sinful,

flawed,

ungrateful,

undeserving of

God's love,

deserving of

his condemnation.

People like

me who have

been forgiven

through the

work of the

Lord Jesus

Christ have

this hope.

I go from

death to

life eternal.

It is

secure and

it is an

eternal gift.

It's an

eternal house

in heaven

given to

everyone who

trusts in the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

That is

Paul's hope

and it is

our hope

who live by

faith in

the Lord

Jesus.

As verse 5

says,

now it is

God who

has made

us for

this very

purpose.

He is the

builder of the

eternal house,

the secure

building,

the perfect

building and

he has made

it for me.

Okay,

that's good.

That renews

me and

gives me

focus in

serving Christ

in that life

in this world

is not the

end.

Paul has

helped me to

see, just

get a glimpse

of the thing

which is

unseen.

There is an

eternal and

perfect life in

Christ waiting

for me.

But there

is one

more unseen

thing that I

need help

here to

see and

that is

when do I

get this

new eternal

and perfect

life?

This new

body, this

new building

fitted for

eternity so

that I can

enjoy the

food, the

relationships and

everything else

in heaven for

all of

eternity.

eternity.

And this

is the

other unseen

thing which

I need to

see if I'm

going to not

lose heart in

serving Christ.

What happens

when you

die?

In his

answer, Paul

here wants us

to be utterly

secure because

security will

renew us

inwardly as

we outwardly

waste away.

And he

addresses this

in verse 4

and onwards.

We do not

wish to be

unclothed but

to be clothed

with our

heavenly dwelling

so that what

is mortal may

be swallowed up

by life.

To go back to

the tent

building metaphor,

what Paul is

saying here is

I want the

building

fantastic,

new eternal

perfect body.

What I don't

want to experience

is my tent

being folded up

and packed away

before I get

the building.

I don't

want to die

in order to

get that.

That is, I

actually don't

want to be

separated from

my body.

I don't want

to be found

naked is what

he says in

verse 3.

He doesn't

want to die

and be absent

from the body.

And so if he

has a choice,

he wants Jesus

to come back

and immediately

swallow, if you

like, his life

up.

That is, he

wants Jesus

to immediately

swap his

tent for the

building in a

twinkling of an

eye, as other

parts of the New

Testament say.

Christ will come

back and in a

twinkling of an

eye, those who

are alive in

Christ, those who

are walking the

face of the

earth, trusting in

Jesus at that

moment, will

immediately be

transformed.

No death.

That's an

awesome option.

Bring it on any

day, I reckon.

That's what he

means when he

says what is

mortal may be

swallowed up by

life.

Good option.

No death.

No separation

from the body.

No wasting

away.

No weariness

and weakness

in a twinkling

of an eye.

All that stuff

gone.

Perfected.

Unrestricted.

Eternal.

In the presence

of Jesus.

With my body.

Able to give

him a hug.

That's

preference number

one.

I'm assuming

that's if you're

in Christ, that

is your

preference.

That seems

like a good

option to

me.

You see, like

us, Paul loved

life in this

world.

He loved the

ability to be

able to hug

people and

kiss them and

eat food and

chat and

travel and

whatever else

it was.

Which is why

the Christian

hope of bodily

resurrection

connects so

significantly with

our hearts.

We don't want

to be separated

from our

bodies.

bodily

resurrection in

a perfect

physical world

that goes on

forever is

our hope.

Our hope as a

Christian is not

an aimless

spiritual world.

It's not

clouds and

wings and

harps, but

relationships and

work and trees

and rivers and

food in the

presence of our

great God.

life.

And that's, I

think, put Paul's

lifestyle in

perspective for us.

He didn't endure

what he did for

Christ because he

didn't love life in

this world.

He didn't surrender

all that he

surrendered.

He did not suffer

what he suffered

because he was a

depressing, morose

kind of dude.

He just went,

I'll just bring it

on because I

really hate my

life.

He loved it and

he wants to spend

eternity with his

body in a

perfected world

and so he

doesn't want to

experience death.

He wants to go

from this life and

immediately into the

next.

And it will

happen for

everyone who

lives by faith in

the Lord Jesus

when Jesus comes

back.

That will be your

experience.

If Jesus comes

back when you're

alive, pray for

that to come.

Come, Lord

Jesus.

So Paul says,

see the unseen

and feel the

security of that.

Now if you

took the first

option to his

extreme, you

could possibly

conclude that

life is greater

and the greatest

possible thing and

so do whatever you

can to keep

this life secure

in this world.

Which is why Paul

gives us his second

preference in verse

8 and without

verse 8 you

could misconstrue

verse 4.

That is, this

helps us, verse 8

helps us to

correct any

misunderstanding of

verse 4 we

might have.

He said, I

would prefer to

be away from the

body and at

home with the

Lord.

What both

option 1,

verse 4, and

option 2,

verse 8 reveal

is that the

highest priority

in life is to

be with Jesus.

That's the

highest priority.

If the choice

here is between

more life, for

Paul is what he

says, if the

choice is between

more life here by

faith and going

to be with

Christ, he'd

prefer that God

would take him

even if it means

that his body

gets buried in the

ground here right

now and he has

to wait before

Jesus comes back

and unites him

with that body.

Being at home

with the Lord,

he said, is so

irresistibly

attractive because

it means ultimately

more intimacy

with Jesus

than we would

ever experience

in this world.

Whatever

happens with

you, Jesus

comes back,

twigly

even I, done

or death

and wait

for your body

to be united

with him in his

presence in the

physical world.

Paul

wants us to

have absolute

security and

confidence in the

future.

For Paul,

death

meant

gain.

Philippians 2,

to live is

Christ and to

die is

gain.

It's better

in Christ.

And what

Paul writes

here is meant

to give the

Christian a

deep sense

of security

in the future.

For the

Christian who

loses their

life before

Jesus returns,

you are not

aimlessly floating

around in some

spiritual world.

At the point

of death,

there is an

immediate

folding into

the presence

of Christ.

We will not

be separated

from Jesus.

We will never

be separated

from his love.

that is the

impact of

verses 6 to

8.

But these

verses do

emphasize that

the great and

final hope of

the Christian

is not to

die and be

freed from

our bodies.

Our hope is

not a

spiritual world.

It is a

world more

physical and

real than the

world in which

we live.

This is but a

foretaste, this

world, of what

is yet to

come.

The hope of

the Christian is

not to be free

from their

body.

We often

say of the

Christian who

has just

died, well

it's all over

now, at least

they're in

heaven.

And I want to

say that's

option number

two, according

to Paul, and

that is good,

but it's not

the best.

There is still

something yet

to come.

There is even

more forward to

look forward to

when Jesus

return and

raises all the

dead in Christ.

As 1

Corinthians 15

54 says,

when the

perishable,

this body,

has been

clothed with

the imperishable,

my eternal

body, and

the mortal,

this body,

with immortality,

the eternal

body, then

the saying

that is written

will come

true.

Death has

been swallowed

up in victory.

That, the

perusia, the

end of time

when Jesus

comes back and

winds up this

whole show,

that's the

victory we're

looking for.

The

resurrection

body is

our hope.

And so

Paul here has

given us a

glimpse of the

unseen.

I can't explain

it all to you.

I can just do

what Paul did

and try and

explain something

of what he has

seen.

It is meant to

cause us to be

confident.

In fact, he uses

the word twice in

these verses,

that he is

confident.

Of course, the

future shapes his

present life.

If Christ doesn't

come and clothe him

with immortality in

the twinkling of

an eye, bam, and

he doesn't call him

home in death, then

Paul will, verse

7, live by faith

and not by sight.

That is his life

in this world.

Now, that living

by faith and not

by sight doesn't

mean we leap into

the dark and just

hope that preference

one or two, one or

both of them sort

of work out and

come true.

What it does mean

is that what is

eternal, precious,

important, and

beyond our senses,

that's what it

means.

We can't see or

even imagine what

the eternal building

will look like and

feel like.

What does it mean

that my body will

not decay?

Ever.

What does it mean

it will never be

restricted?

Ever.

I don't get that.

I mean, I'm

preaching with a

neck that I can't

hardly move.

That direction at

the moment.

That's got to be

good to get rid of

that one.

And so what

happens is,

living by faith

means we look to

what we know of

the Lord Jesus

from faithful

witnesses who

walked and ate

with him and

heard his voice,

witnessed the

horror of his

crucifixion and

saw him risen from

the dead, who

ate fish with him

on a beach after

that had happened,

put their hands

in his side and

in his fingers.

And we look to

such tests and

we believe the

good news of the

salvation of

sinners and with

the help of the

down payment of

the Holy Spirit,

we trust his

word and we

renew our

courage and we

make it our

goal to please

him, to live

by faith.

death.

There is, just

before we finish,

there is another

aspect of the

end of all

things that

shapes Paul's

lifestyle and

gives us another

reason why we

should want to

please him.

It's verse 10,

for we must all

appear before the

judgment seat of

Christ that each

one may receive

what is due him

for the things

done while in

the body,

whether good or

bad.

very quickly,

for Paul in

these verses,

it's not

condemnation that

he fears,

although it

might be true

for some who

at the present

are not trusting

in Christ.

What he fears

in that verse,

in the judgment

throne, is

evaluation.

salvation.

It's not the

loss of salvation,

but the loss of

commendation that

he fears.

Because he lives

to please the

Lord, his

greatest fear is

in fact not to

please him with

his life.

Now when I say

that, it sounds

like I'm talking

about rewards in

heaven.

And that's

true, because

that's what I am

saying.

The problem

is that when I

talk about

rewards in

heaven, it

sounds anti-grace.

Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:8

verse 8 says

that we are

saved by grace

through faith and

not of any works

that we've done.

We do not earn

our salvation.

Works

contradict grace,

according to

Ephesians 2,

and rewards

sound like works.

I think what

Paul is saying

is salvation is

by faith and

rewards are by

faith, but the

evidence of

invisible faith in

the judgment room

of Christ at the

end of time will

be a transformed

life.

I don't think his

teaching here is

out of line to the

rest of the New

Testament.

It's in line with

Jesus teaching on

the accountability of

the steward to his

master with respect

to the faithful

use of gifts

entrusted to him.

It's in line with

Paul's teaching in

1 Corinthians 3.

The purchase of

our pardon by the

blood of Jesus,

sorry, the purchase

of our pardon was

the blood of Jesus,

sufficient once for

all to cover all

of our sins.

The means by which

we own it is

faith.

And faith alone.

And at the

judgment of

believers, Jesus

is looking for

deeds that prove

that we have

enjoyed our

pardon.

One movie I

haven't searched

on Wikipedia and

haven't gone to bed

early on is

Gladiator.

At the beginning

of the movie,

Russell Crowe's

character, Maximus

Decimus Meridius,

is inspiring

his troops to

fight well in

one final battle,

knowing full well

that they might

die, but the

victory is almost

there.

It's been a long

campaign.

And to inspire

his troops to

throw their life

into the battle,

he says to them,

what we do in

life echoes in

eternity.

of course, it's

unfortunate that he

then went on to

live a life of

seeking revenge,

but that's beside

the point.

He was still the

hero, I think,

in the end,

even though he

died.

I think that's what

Paul is doing for

us here.

Do not lose

heart.

The Lord Jesus

has secured an

eternal building for

all who trust in

him.

Look towards it by

surrendering your

life to him.

Who we are in

Christ, what we

have done with

our time, how we

have pursued

opportunities, how

single-minded we

have been in our

Christian service

will matter for all

of eternity.

And he says it's

possible to live in

such a way as to

build an eternal

weight of glory.

In 2 Corinthians,

Paul demonstrates a

life that hasn't

lost heart.

His lifestyle is

the evidence of

it.

He longed for a

life of comfort

and security and

health and safety

and painlessness,

and so much so

that he surrendered

his body to

insults and

torments and

beatings for the

sake of Christ.

Because in

surrendering his

body, he secured

the comfort, the

security, the

health, the

safety and the

painlessness.

And it was the

grace of God that

was sufficient to

sustain him.

My friends, I

think that one of

the primary

evidences of a

Christian's losing

heart in pursuing

God's global

agenda is seen in

pursuing confidence,

security, and

painlessness, and

everything else here

and now, bedding down

in this world now.

That is, we start

living by sight rather

than living by faith.

life.

The temporal becomes

what's, becomes, you

know, the supreme

thing for us.

We stop looking to

the eternal building

and try to make

this tent as

secure and as

comfortable as we

possibly can.

A few more poles,

a few extra chairs.

I mean, have you been

to a camping shop

lately?

It's astounding.

You can get

recliner camping

chairs.

You've got one.

Oh, you can get

recliner camping

chairs, hot water

systems, fridges.

I mean, why, why

even go?

Just stay at home.

You've got it all

there.

And sometimes we do

the same with the

Christian life.

We just pursue the

comfort and the

security.

We try and make the

tent as livable as

we possibly can.

And my friends, it's a

daily struggle.

Present comfort,

security, and glory,

or eternal comfort,

security, and glory.

It's my struggle.

I'll level with you.

I love comfort.

And the older I'm

getting, the more I

like it.

I'll be frank with you.

That's why I wear a

jumper on a cold day.

It's because I love

comfort.

It's why I'd rather be

sitting in business

class than economy

class, because I love

comfort.

It's like the fact I

like an air conditioner

when I'm in hot

economy, hot climate.

It's because I like

comfort.

I like gadgets in my

car.

Not because I need

them, because they're,

I don't know, because

I like comfort.

It's a daily battle.

It's a daily battle.

And so I think what

this passage is doing

for us is, do we share

Paul's biblical

priorities and values

in life?

Do I love his grace and

his mercy?

Do I enjoy his pardon?

Do I long first and

foremost, and do I pray

for Jesus to come back?

Or would Jesus coming

back right now be an

inconvenience for you?

Secondly, do I long to

be at home with Christ,

even if it costs the

surrender of my body?

And thirdly, am I

committed to walk by faith

until he comes or until

he calls, and to live by

faith in such a way

that what awaits me in

the building is an

eternal weight of glory

in Christ.

Amen.