2 Corinthians Ch5v1-10 - A God Vision To Live By

Good morning, everyone. Good to see you.

Let's turn to our Bibles, to our studies in 2 Corinthians.

We're going to read chapter 5, verses 1 through to 10.

2 Corinthians 5, verses 1 to 10.

2 Corinthians 5:1–10

Let's hear God's word.

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.

Meanwhile, we groan,

longing to be clothed instead 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,

but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,

so that what is mortal

may be swallowed up by life.

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.

Therefore,

we are always confident

and know that as long as we are at home in the body,

we are away from the Lord.

For we live by faith,

not by sight.

We are confident, I say,

and would prefer to be away from the body

and at home with the Lord.

So we make it our goal to please him,

whether we are at home in the body

or away from it.

For we must all appear

before the judgment seat of Christ,

so that each of us may receive

what is due to us,

for the same is done while in the body,

whether good or bad.

Well, let's pray together.

Our Father God,

may you,

by and through the power

of your Holy Spirit,

drive the truths of your Word

deep into our hearts

so that they change us

not just for today,

but ready and prepared

for the future that is to come.

Bless us,

encourage us,

and build us up as a church, we ask.

And it's in Jesus' name we all pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, on Tuesday past,

Catherine Connolly was inaugurated

as the new President of Ireland.

In her speech,

she set out her vision

for our country.

She promises to be

a catalyst for change,

a symbol of a new movement,

hopes to make Ireland

a place of equality

and neutrality,

a republic

that we can be proud of.

Can you get behind that vision?

Well, I hope that some of these things

will be achieved.

But the problem I have

with that speech is,

it's not that this is too big a vision,

it is far too small a vision.

I'm all for hopes and dreams

and a catalyst for change

and a symbol for the new

and making things better.

But what we really

and truly need today

is not a vision

from a president

who is here

but for a few years.

But we need a vision of God,

the creator,

the eternal God.

A vision

where God guarantees

and secures our future

and changes and shapes

our present.

In chapter 5,

Paul is setting out

such a vision

for the church.

A vision so great

and big and glorious

that it affects the future

and changes

our present.

Leading up to chapter 5,

we've seen that

the Christian life

and ministry

is one that it is hard.

It's a difficult path.

It's a journey

which will involve

weakness and suffering

and death itself.

And we can easily

lose heart

and give up.

So in chapter 5,

we are given this

glorious vision

of God

who guarantees

our future

and changes

our present.

It's a vision

that we desperately

need to recover.

So let's look together

at this vision

that comes in

two parts.

First,

a God vision

for the future.

Look at verse 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.

That's the vision

for the future.

A future

where we will receive

resurrection bodies

all ready

for a new creation

to come.

Let me unpack

that for us.

Look at how our life

is described

in verse 1.

Did you catch it

at the very beginning?

For we know

that if the

earthly tent

we live in

is destroyed.

Or verse 4,

while we are in

this tent,

it's a strange

way to describe

us that we're

like a tent,

a camping tent.

Well, our lives

and body

are just like that.

We are temporary

dwellings.

We're not made,

the physical body

isn't made

to last.

One day

death will come

and we'll end

the tent

of our physical

bodies.

They will be,

as verse 1 says,

be destroyed.

But if we are

Christians,

if our hope

is in Christ

today,

well, look at

the rest of verse 1.

We have a

building from God,

an eternal

house in heaven,

not built

by human hands.

At the end

of verse 2,

it is our

heavenly dwelling.

It's the promise

of a future

where this

very earthly

body will be

changed into

a glorious

heavenly body.

It is nothing

less than a

resurrection

body prepared

and ready

for a new

creation to

come,

where the

temporary

becomes eternal,

where the

broken is

made right,

and the

sinful self

is made

brand new.

You see,

our new bodies

that we are

going to

receive,

well,

we're not

going to be

floating about

on clouds,

in our

white dresses,

playing harps.

no offence

to any harp

players.

No,

they will be

new physical

bodies

without sinful

corruption.

It will be

a new

life

in a

physical

new creation,

this world,

this universe

made gloriously

new.

A world

where there

will be no

more decay

or disease

or death,

no more

sin or

suffering

or Satan.

It will

be gloriously

new.

Not long

after Kirstie

and I were

married,

we went to

Wales for

a cousin's

reunion.

Ethan,

our son,

was just a

few months

old,

and being

the adventurous

husband,

I thought

it would

be good

to go

camping.

And with

great enthusiasm,

I set up

our tent,

ready and

settled in

for the

night.

Kirstie

and me

and Ethan

snuggled up

in the

middle.

Well,

then it

began to

rain.

And when

I say

rain,

I mean

that it

poured.

Could you

turn off

the phone,

please?

It's very

disturbing.

We vote

to find

a river

that was

literally

coming in

one end

of the

tent

and going

out of

the

other.

Ethan

was roaring,

crying,

and of

course,

Kirstie

was crying.

Thankfully,

a kind

cousin came

along,

saw the

predicament

that we

were in,

went over

to the

owner of

the campsite,

ordered a

mobile home

for us to

stay in

for the

night,

and paid

for it

all.

There we

were,

safe and

warm,

dry and

content.

Well,

isn't that

just a

picture,

a glimpse

of what the

risen Lord

Jesus is

going to

do one

day?

He is

going to

come again,

and we

will leave

the tent

of this

body,

in all

its

brokenness

behind,

and we

will be

made

new

for a

glorious

new

creation

where we

will rest

and enjoy

God's

provision

for us

forever.

Now,

before we

move on

to the

vision for

the present,

there are

two things

we need

to be

clear on.

first of

all,

grace,

not

works.

This

vision is

only made

possible by

God's

grace,

and not

by our

efforts.

We don't

get to

experience

this new

creation with

our brand

new bodies

by our

performance.

Look again

at verse

one.

We have

a building

from God,

an eternal

house in

heaven,

not built

by human

hands.

Our

resurrection

bodies,

this new

creation,

is all

God's

work.

It's a

building

from

God.

Just as

God spoke

the first

creation into

existence,

God will

speak the

new creation

into existence.

But more

than that,

look at

verse five.

Now the

one who

has fashioned

us for

this very

purpose

is God.

You see,

this is all

God's

doing,

God's

work.

He has

saved us,

He has

changed us,

so that we

might be able

to enjoy

what is to

come.

And God

prepared it

all.

He fashioned

us for

all of

this by

sending

His Son,

the Lord

Jesus Christ,

to die

for our

sins,

my sin

and your

sin,

to raise

us again

from the

grave.

All of

this is

God's

work,

all by

His

grace.

It's like

my cousin

who came

to the

rescue

when we

were in

that tent.

He saw

our

predicament.

He came

and He

intervened.

He provided

us with a

new home

and He

paid for

it all.

It is

all

wonderfully

by God's

grace.

But there's

another thing

we need

to see.

That right

now that

life is

partial

and not

fulfilled.

Because when

we trust

in Christ

we receive

all of

God's

good and

wonderful

promises.

However,

all of

those promises

are partial.

They are

not yet

fulfilled.

So look

again at

verse 1.

We have

a building

from God,

an eternal

house in

heaven,

not built

by human

hands.

Meanwhile,

we groan,

longing to

be clothed

instead with

our heavenly

dwelling.

We have

the promise

of new

resurrected

bodies and

a new

creation.

that's

secure,

that's

locked

in,

that won't

change.

However,

as we

wait for

what is

to come,

we are

going to

pass through

seasons of

suffering and

struggles.

Just because

we're Christians,

it doesn't mean

to say we get

a pass on

that.

Healing

this side

of eternity

is not

guaranteed.

Look at

verse 4.

This is

what life

is like.

For while

we are in

this tent,

we groan

and are

burdened

because we

do not

wish to

be unclosed,

but to be

clothed

instead with

our heavenly

dwelling,

so that

what is

mortal

may be

swallowed

up by

life.

Think of

it like

this,

that you've

been invited

to a

wonderful

grand

banquet.

You have

the invite

which

guarantees

your seat

at the

table,

but there's

a dress

code for

you to

enter,

formal

dress for

the women,

black tie

for the

men.

You wait

until those

new clothes

arrive so

that you

can go to

the banquet

prepared

and ready.

Well,

verse 4

is saying

if we

are

Christians,

we are

waiting

for our

new

clothes.

We're

waiting to

be clothed

with our

resurrection

bodies so

that we

can take

our place

in the

new

creation.

And it's

all

guaranteed.

Verse 5,

second part

of verse 5,

God who

has given

us the

spirit

as a

deposit

guaranteeing

what is

to come.

I'm

sure you've

experienced

what it is

to groan

in our

aching

bodies.

Those

groans,

those

longings

that come

from deep

within

are all

evidence

of God's

spirit at

work within

us.

The spirit

of God

which causes

us to

cry out

to our

father

as we

wait

for what

is

guaranteed.

So

first we

have a

vision

for the

future,

resurrection

bodies

for a

new

creation,

all

delivered

not by

our

works

but by

God's

grace

which we

have

received

now,

but we

await

its

fulfilment.

Second,

we have

a God

vision for

the

present.

Look at

verse 6.

Therefore,

so in

light of

what is

to come,

in light

of the

future

vision

to come,

therefore

we are

always

confident

and know

that as

long as

we are

at home

in the

body,

we are

away

from the

Lord.

So

again,

here's

our

vision

for the

present,

for our

lives

today.

Confident

hope

with a

new

purpose.

Let me

unpack that

for us.

If you

look

carefully

at verse

6,

there's

this

little

phrase

which

says

home

in the

body

and

away

from

the

Lord.

That

describes

our

current

status,

doesn't

it?

We're

at home

in the

body,

in the

tent

of our

body,

in this

life,

in this

world,

and we

long to

be with

the

Lord.

Verse

8 has

the same

phrase,

but it's

reversed.

He

says,

I would

prefer to

be away

from

the

body

and

at

home

with

the

Lord.

Isn't

that how

we feel

today?

That's

our

hope.

We

long to

be away

from

this

life

for

the

life

to

come.

But

as

we

wait

for

all

of

that

to

happen,

go

back

to

verse

6,

it

says

we

are

always

confident.

So

whatever

our

circumstances

in

life,

whatever

our

struggles

that

come,

we

know,

we

are

sure,

we

are

confident

that

one

day

we

will

be

truly

at

home.

This

is

the

confidence

and

assurance

we

have.

And

it

isn't

just

worked

up

by

effort

from

inside

of

us.

No,

it's

a

confidence

that

is

based

on

the

historical

fact

of

the

resurrection.

Go

back

to

chapter

4,

verse

14.

Do you

see it

there?

This is

where our

confidence

comes from.

Verse 14,

because we

know that

the one who

raised the

Lord Jesus

from the

dead

will also

raise us

with Jesus

and present

us with

you

to

himself.

Because

God

raised

Christ

from the

dead,

all

who

are

in

Christ

will

also

be

raised

just

as

Christ

was

raised.

Our

future

is

secure,

therefore

our

present

is

secure.

Now

this

confidence

that we

have

today

gives

us a

new

purpose,

a new

way

to

live.

We

see it

there

in

verse

9.

So

we

make it

our

goal

to

please

him

whether

we

are

at

home

in

the

body

or

away

for

it.

Well

how do

I

please

the

Lord?

As

we

wake

up

every

morning

what

does

it

mean

to

please

him?

Well

go

back

to

chapter

2

verse

14.

I

think

here

it

describes

well

what

it

means

for

us

to

please

him.

We'll

pick it

up at

the

middle

of

verse

14.

God

uses

us

to

spread

the

aroma

of

the

knowledge

of

him

everywhere.

For

we are

to

God

the

pleasing

aroma

of

Christ

among

those who

are being

saved and

among

those

who are

perishing.

do

you see

it

there

verse

15

we

are

to

God

the

pleasing

aroma

of

Christ.

The

way in

which we

please

the

Lord

as we

are

waiting

for

glory

is to

spread

the

aroma

of

Christ

wherever

we

go.

That

is

we

are

to

share

this

wonderful

gospel

story

of the

one

who

died

for

our

sins

who

was

raised

to life

securing

our

future

as we

speak

of

Jesus

we

are

spreading

an

aroma

that

pleases

the

Lord.

That's

our

purpose.

That's

our

vision

for the

present.

When we

go to

college,

when we

go to

work,

when we

socialise

with

friends,

all the

things

that we

do

every

day,

our

prayerful

goal

is that

they

would

know

Jesus

and

share

in

the

resurrection

life

to

come.

Now,

as we

live out

this

glorious

vision,

there are

two

things we

need to

keep in

mind.

First,

face,

not

sight.

We

live out

this

vision,

verse

seven,

we

live by

face

and

not

by

sight.

Face

in this

context

doesn't

mean

saving

faith

like

trusting

in

Jesus.

It's

a

persevering

faith.

Hebrews

11

puts it

like

this.

Now,

face

is

confidence

in what

we hope

for

and

assurance

about

what we

do

not

see.

We

are

waiting

for

something

to come

and

that

waiting,

that

trusting

is

active,

not

passive.

We

saw

that

last

week.

If you

go back

to

chapter

4,

verse

18,

what it

means

to live

by

faith

and

not

by

sight.

Chapter

4,

verse

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.

What

we

see

right

now,

what

we

can

feel,

what

we

can

touch,

what

we

hold

on

to

is

all

temporary.

None

of

this

is

going

to

last.

So,

we

live

by

trusting

in

God's

sure

and

certain

promises.

We

live

each

day

knowing

that

this

world

is

not

our

home.

We

live

knowing

that

our

groanings

will

one

day

give

way

to

glory.

We

live

knowing

that

all

our

efforts

to

reach

the

lost

will

count.

We

are

people

who

live

by

faith

and

not

by

sight.

But

the

other

thing

we

also

need

to

know

is

that

it's

about

reward

not

wages.

Look

at

verse

9

with

me

again.

We

make

it

our

goal

to

please

him

whether

we're

at

home

in

the

body

or

away

from

it

for

we

must

all

appear

before

the

judgment

of

seat

of

Christ

so

that

each

of

us

may

receive

what

is

due

to

us

for

the

things

done

while

in

the

body

whether

good

or

bad

one

day

this

is

the

reality

the

tent

of

my

body

is

going

to

be

destroyed

I'm

going

to

die

and

I'm

going

to

stand

before

Christ

and

that

is

true

of

every

single

person

in

this

room

we

will

stand

before

Christ

and

verse

10

I

think

in

particular

is

speaking

about

Christians

on

that

day

our

lives

are

going

to

be

assessed

how

did

I

live

how

did

I

use

my

resources

what

did

I

do

with

my

money

what

did

I

do

with

my

time

everything

is

going

to

be

uncovered

and

laid

before

Christ

and

then

when

that

has

taken

place

look

at

the

end

of

verse

10

we

will

receive

what

is

due

to

us

for

the

things

done

while

in

the

body

whether

good

or

bad

so

what

are we

going

to

receive

when

we

stand

before

Christ

well

if

we're

Christians

we

won't

receive

judgment

because

Christ

has

already

been

judged

for

us

if

we

are

not

Christians

we

will

be

judged

and

we

will

fail

and

we

will

be

separated

from

God

for

all

eternity

but

for

the

Christian

here

in

verse

10

it's

not

talking

about

condemnation

but

about

an

evaluation

of

how

we

have

lived

our

lives

for

Christ

so

what

are we

going

to

receive

for

the

things

we

did

good

and

the

things

that

we

did

bad

well

we

will

receive

rewards

and

not

wages

one

writer

put it

like

this

the

inheritance

the

reward

which

is

then

kept

in

heaven

for

us

is

not

a

wage

paid

out

to

employees

in

proportion

to

what

they

have

earned

but

a

reward

that

the

father

in

heaven

grants

to

his

children

out

of

sheer

grace

it's

like

this

as I

was

reflecting

on

this

verse

as I

think

of

standing

before

Christ

and

my

life

being

evaluated

I

don't

know

about

you

but

I

want

to

run

and

hide

I

don't

want

my

life

evaluated

but

when I

think

of

God

who

would

evaluate

my

life

and

all

that

I

have

done

and

him

still

giving

me

the

reward

of

new

life

new

resurrected

body

and

the

new

creation

well

then

I

am

utterly

stunned

and

amazed

at

what

he

will

do

for

me

and

it's

because

of

this

gracious

undeserved

reward

that I

am

motivated

today

in

this

life

to

please