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By Pastor Brian Bestian
In a Reader’s Digest article, Warren Greely and some of his coworkers were digging on a construction project on a college campus. They uncovered an underground power line directly in their path. Warren writes, “I suspected it was only an abandoned line but, to be safe, I called the maintenance department and asked for someone to identify it. An electrician arrived, looked at the cable, and assured us it was dead. ‘Just cut it out of your way,’ he said. ‘Are you sure there’s no danger?’ I asked. He replied, ‘I’m sure.’ I handed him the wire cutters and asked, ‘Well, then, will you cut it for us?’ He hesitated for a moment and, with a slight smile, answered, ‘I’m not that certain!’”
How certain are you that you will go to heaven when you die? Are you willing to stake your life on it? I hope so. That’s a critical question because in order to be reasonably confident in the present, you must have a realistic hope for the future.
Let’s say you’re on a cruise ship that is hijacked by terrorists. They gleefully tell the passengers they’re planted bombs onboard the ship and are going to ram the Port of Miami in two days. I doubt if you’d pig out at the restaurant or laugh at the entertainment the next few hours—you’d be obsessed with the impending doom. The trip would have no joy, unless the ship’s captain and his crew regained control. For a cruise to be enjoyable there has to be an assurance of a safe harbor.
The Bible says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:19). But, praise God for giving “us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade—kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet 1:3-4).
Belief in heaven isn’t just a nice notion to comfort Christians only in the final stages of a terminal illness, but it’s an essential, living hope. The assurance that we’re going to anchor one day in a safe, beautiful, exhilarating harbor, makes every day more meaningful. That’s why Jesus said, “I’ve come that you might have life to the fullest” (John 10:10).
Our text today is 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 where Paul talks about the assurance we have of going to heaven when we die. For the past few Sundays, we’ve been talking about “Being Confident In Uncertain Times.” The more uncertain the present becomes, the more important that future assurance is. Our theme verse is verse 7, “We live by faith not by sight.” I want you to notice three particular short phrases this morning.
I. We Know That When This Life Is Over There’s A Better Life Waiting For Us.
The first phrase is in verse one, “We know.” The apostle Paul writes, “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.” In other words, we know that when this life is over there’s a better life waiting for us.
Paul, who was a tentmaker by trade, compared our bodies to tents. If you’ve ever camped out, you know that a tent is a temporary dwelling. It’s uncomfortable, and it doesn’t have the amenities of home. A tent is an insecure structure, vulnerable to collapse in high winds or an attack by a hungry grizzly bear. If you’ve ever come upon a terrible accident on the interstate just a few minutes after it has happened, you’re hastily reminded: this tent is so fragile, and it can be destroyed so quickly.
Verse 2 adds, “Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.” Life has some wonderful moments. But generally speaking, the older we get, the fewer the joys and the more numerous the burdens. Eventually you begin thinking to yourself, “I wouldn’t mind getting out of this tent and going home!”
Paul assures his readers that the life God has in store for us in heaven is much better than this life. Look at the contrasts in these first few verses. This life is earthly; the other is heavenly. This life is a temporary tent; the one to come is a permanent building. This life is mortal; the one to come is eternal. This life is full of burdens; the one to come is full of glory. This life is marked by nakedness and discontent; the life to come will be clothed with our heavenly dwelling and contentment.
I like the way The Message paraphrases verses 1-2, “We know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our ‘tents’ again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move and we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack and we’re tired of it!”
Glen Wheeler is a well-seasoned pastor in Ohio. His wife Evelyn died a few years ago. In reminiscing about her, he writes, “What I miss about Evelyn are not the big things but the little things. Like after church on Sunday morning, we’d walk to the car, and she’d slip her arm in mine and whisper, ‘You’re a good man Glen Wheeler!’ Boy, I’d like to hear her say that again just one more time. You know what else I miss? I miss her cooking. She was such a great cook. After we had eaten a delicious meal, she would come around and pick up our plates and say, ‘Keep your fork, Glen.’ Whenever she would say that—I knew the best was yet to come. She could make some wonderful desserts.”
In closing, Glen wrote, “You know what? Sometimes now, late at night when I’m lonely and fight back the tears, it’s like I can almost hear the Lord say, ‘Keep your fork, Glen. Hold on; the best is yet to come!’”
“For while we are in this tent,” Paul says, “we groan and are burdened, because 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.” But can we be certain there is life after death?
There has been a lot of speculation in recent years about life beyond the grave. There have been all kinds of movies from “Field of Dreams,” “Touched by an Angel,” to “Heaven Can Wait” that have speculated about the reality of life after death and what it’s like. A psychic named John Edwards has a cable TV program called, “Crossing Over,” where he claims to be able to communicate with the dead and bring their messages back to this world.
The Bible warns us against consulting with mediums and getting involved in séances. They’re not of God. If those psychics knew so much about the paranormal and the future, why don’t you ever see a headline, “Psychic Wins Lottery”? Don’t be taken in by that kind of deception. Stay away from that stuff.
The hope of the Christian is not based on the speculation of man but on the demonstration of God. Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 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)
We believe in the historical reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. And there is tremendous evidence to support that fact. We are promised that Jesus is the example of what is going to happen to us. So, we “live by faith, not by sight.”
II. We Are Guaranteed What Is To Come By The Deposit Of The Holy Spirit.
The second phrase is in verse 5, “We are guaranteed.” Paul says, “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” In other words, we are guaranteed what is to come by the deposit of the Holy Spirit.
Two adult counselors and six of our youth are heading for the LCMS National Youth Gathering in New Orleans this coming July. It’s going to be a life-changing event. There is a $275 registration fee that guarantees a spot. When they make that non-refundable deposit, the national staff knows that the kids are more likely to attend. The deposit is their guarantee of following through with a promise.
In Acts 2:38 we read, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” When you were baptized, you were given the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible promises that Christ is in you, the hope of glory.
God has made a deposit of His Holy Spirit in us as a guarantee that He’s going to fulfill His promise that the best is yet to come. The word translated “deposit” can also mean engagement ring. The church is often compared to the Bride of Christ. The church is engaged to Jesus Christ and we are waiting for Him to come take us to the wedding. He will follow through with His promise. He’s always faithful. He won’t leave His bride waiting at the altar.
Paul writes in Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Basically Paul is saying, “The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.” How can we be sure the Holy Spirit is in us, guaranteeing what is to come? He is promised by Jesus Christ, and we live by faith, not by sight.
III. We are Confident That When We Die We Go Immediately Into God’s Presence.
The third phrase is in verses 6 and 8, “We are confident.” The Bible says, “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” We are confident that when we die we go immediately into God’s presence.
Many of you have undergone some kind of surgery. Most likely, before you had it done, the doctor or one of his staff took time to explain in detail exactly what you would feel and experience. That information went a long way toward eliminating fear and giving you confidence even though you hadn’t yet experienced it.
None of us has experienced death. But the Great Physician, who knows all things, has given us some advance information that will help eliminate fear and instill confidence. Look again at what he says will transpire when we die.
First, there’s a gradual deterioration of the body. We read in 2 Corinthians 4:16 last week, “outwardly we are wasting away.” Sometimes the tent we live in is destroyed immediately by a catastrophe; usually it slowly deteriorates. When we see our body aging, not functioning as well, it’s a gentle reminder from God that death is approaching. Get ready to move out of this tent, because it’s not going to last forever.
When John Quincy Adams turned 80, he was hobbling down a Boston street leaning heavily on his cane. A friend asked how he was doing. He smiled and said, “Fine, Sir, fine. But this old tenement that John Quincy lives in is not so good. The underpinning is about to fall away. The thatch is all gone off his roof. And the windows are so dim John Quincy can hardly see out anymore. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if before the winter’s over he had to move out. But as for John Quincy Adams, he never was better—never was better.”
The deterioration of the body isn’t all that sad for the Christian, God’s just beginning to fold up our tent reminding us it’s about time to move into a building of God eternal in the heavens.
Secondly, there comes the time of the departure of the spirit. Verse 8 speaks of being absent from our bodies. There’s a sense in which you don’t see me; you see the tent I live in. I don’t see you; I just see your dwelling.
There’s a spirit inside each of us that continues to be us. I’ve read that the cells in the body reproduce themselves at least every seven years. Every cell in the body dies within seven years. So there is nothing about you physically that is the same person that you were ten years ago. But you are still the same person living inside that body.
When the body finally ceases to live, the spirit quietly, gently departs the body and goes into another dimension, but it doesn’t cease to exist. Just as a glove has the form of the hand, but isn’t the hand, so the body takes the form of the person, but isn’t the real person.
We’ve been taught that from the time we were little children, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord, my soul to take.”
Deterioration of the body, departure of the spirit, and the next step is immediate presence with God. On a tombstone in Wetumpka, Alabama there’s an unusual epitaph. It reads, “Here lies Solomon Peas. Peas is not here only the pod. Peas shelled out and went home to God.”
There are only two stages for the Christian: in the body or out of the body—absent from the Lord or present with the Lord. The Bible doesn’t teach reincarnation or purgatory. The Bible teaches to be absent from the body is immediate presence with the Lord. Jesus told about a man named Lazarus who died, and immediately He was in Abraham’s bosom. The rich man died and immediately he was in hell. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
Dr. Hershell Hobbs, a well-known Baptist preacher, tried to comfort his wife as she lay dying of cancer. She asked, “What will it be like to die?” He said all his theological and pastoral training didn’t prepare him to answer such a deep personal question. He said, “Honey, I’m not exactly sure what that moment will be like. But I do know this for sure. I will sit here and hold your hand on this side of heaven until Jesus comes to take your hand on the other side.” King David said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
The next step is the granting of a glorified, resurrected body at the Second Coming. We aren’t going to spend eternity floating around in space as disembodied spirits. We aren’t going to be ghosts. When we die, our spirits depart from the body, and we are immediately in the joyous presence of Christ.
But that is not our final, perfect existence yet. When Jesus Christ returns we are going to be given a new glorified, physical body. People used to scoff at this idea, that God would resurrect our bodies. What about people who have been dead for years, ashes scattered over acres? Now scientists speculate if they can get just one cell with a defined DNA structure, they can recreate or clone ancient dinosaurs. Is it too much to believe that the God of the scientist could recreate a perfect body for us? “Nothing is impossible with God.”
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—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. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”
This is such great news. We’re going to have new glorified and resurrected bodies—no wrinkles, no dentures, no sagging parts, no pain, no weariness, and no thinning hair. When Christ returns, we will be granted new immortal bodies.
Jesus Himself is the example, the firstfruits. When Jesus died, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” For our sake, He willingly gave up His spirit. His body was buried. Three days later the Spirit of Jesus reinhabited that same body, and it was resurrected. He said to His disciples “Don’t be afraid; touch Me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bone as you see that I have.”
Our final step is perfection in heaven. We’ll be given the “building from God, an eternal house in heaven.” The Bible doesn’t give us much detail about heaven—streets of gold, gates of pearl, walls of jasper. No tears, no pain, no sorrow. Other than telling us that heaven is going to be better by far than this life, we’re not given much information about it. Maybe if we were given too much information we’d be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. We walk by faith not by sight.
We can live confidently, fully each day, unafraid of death, because Christ has conquered the last enemy and, for us, the best is yet to come. We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed we have a building of God, eternal in the heavens. We are guaranteed what is to come by the deposit of the Holy Spirit living in us. We are confident that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Christian author Ken Guire explains it this way, “Death. It is the most misunderstood part of life. It is not a great sleep but a great awakening. It is that moment when we awake, rub our eyes and see things at last the way God has seen them all along.” Live in confidence; you have nothing to fear—of this you can be certain!
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