2 Corinthians 5:1-5 “ 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. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 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. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
Pastor Kyle continues: No matter how much we want to believe in medical and technological advances, everything on this side of Judgement Day is temporary. We have temporary bodies with an eternal soul. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” When we have breathed our last, everyone has a “come to Jesus” moment to give him an account of their life. Revelation 20:11-12 says, “I saw a great white throne and him [Jesus] who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” It will be victory for the sanctified in Christ, but pure Hell on whose who reject the Lord in rebellious unbelief. Bottomline: Tents are temporary shelter and never meant to be a permanent solution. This temporal tent houses the soul and is a temple for the Holy Spirit within Believers
The second thing that we need to know about this tent living is (2) When we take care of the essentials, then we can take our time with everything else. In camping, we need to frantically set up our camp with everything that we are going to need, then we can relax and enjoy the experience in God’s creation. There is a bit of a frenzy in day-to-day life to take care of and handle the basics because life is full of places to be and things to do, which can be stressful. Busyness distracts us from core purposes, priorities and goals. In John 14:2-3Jesus tells Believers, “ In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Jesus is in Heaven setting up the permanent eternal dwelling place for the children of God for when they get there. We are here doing the work of advancing the kingdom by going out in the world and making disciple through presenting the Gospel message of salvation, while the Lord is making all the detailed arrangements, preparing for our arrival. Get a glimpse of that heavenly mindset and eternal perspective for the Believer, trust that the Lord has the details worked out in advance. Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and to delight in Him forever. That means to obey and enjoy God and His created world and order, knowing that everything was created by Him for His glory and we are a vital part of His plan, so love God and love others.
The third thing that we need to know about this tent living is (3) Eventually, we long to go home. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling. The Greek word for “groan here is “stenazō”, meaning to sigh, murmur, pray inaudibly: to groan with grief, and a desire for something to be different or change. We feel that painful separation as we long for our home in Heaven. We shall put on heavenly bodies with a sense of completeness, for we shall not be spirits without bodies. Live that reality of Heaven while living here on Earth today. As much as it is nice to be away on cation, the comforts of home are such a blessing. That longing to go home is the feeling that the Christian should feel about Heaven. The born-again Christian as a citizen of Heaven, just a sojourner, a temporary resident; a stranger or traveler who dwells in a place for a time. Heaven is their eternal home and we are Ambassadors for Christ.
Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on our temporary lives and our eternal home in the next post. In Christ Brian
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