The Believer’s Sure Hope

1:09More specifically, we're going to consider what this passage says about the believer's sure hope. Loosely borrowing from John MacArthur's outline on part of this text, this passage speaks to five Aspects of the believer's sure hope. The next body is best, verse 1. The next life is perfect. We'll see that in verses 2 through 4. The next existence is guaranteed. We'll see that in verse 5. The next dwelling is with the Lord. We'll see that in verses 6 through 8. And the next reality includes rewards.

2:04And we'll see that in verses 9 through 10. The central point of this sermon, and I hope that it is a positive, hopeful sermon, is that the sure hope of the believer was planned from the beginning, and it guarantees a perfect body, a perfect life, and a perpetual dwelling with the Lord. So let us consider the first aspect of the believer's sure hope. The next body is best. Look again at verse 1. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God.

3:00A house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. So, clearly, in this verse, it speaks to two different bodies: an earthly body and a heavenly body. Our earthly body, our earthly home, is compared to a tent. So, why does Paul use the imagery of a tent? I would suggest that Paul uses the imagery of a tent because a tent is modest, transient, temporary. A tent normally belongs to someone who wanders around and doesn't have a permanent home.

4:02Borrowing the words of Peter, I would suggest that Paul knew that we are strangers, aliens, pilgrims, and sojourners in this world. And like a tent that will disintegrate over time, Paul knew that our earthly body would one day be destroyed. That is, one day, Our earthly body will cease to function and we will die. What will this earthly body be replaced by? It will be replaced by our heavenly body, a building from God. That is, our earthly body will be replaced by a glorified resurrection body.

4:57Now, some of you may be a little confused here in verse 1 by Paul's use of the present tense. We have a building from God. As noted by Sam Storms, frequently in Scripture, a future reality or possession is so certain, so assured in the perspective of the author, that it is appropriately spoken of in the present tense. That is, it is spoken as if it were already ours in experience. Paul's use of the present tense we have points to the fact of having as well as to the permanency of having, but not necessarily to the immediacy of having. Paul's language in verse 1 is the language of hope.

6:00So, what is Paul's purpose in comparing our earthly body, the tent, to the glorified body, our building? Paul is reminding us that we get to trade in our tent, as Bill mentioned, for a building. We no longer have to accept a frail, declining, and temporary body. We get a strong, fixed, and permanent body made with divine workmanship. That is, we get a tent that is no longer a tent, we get a building that's made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

6:49As Philip Hughes in his commentary notes, this new body will be entirely glorious, free from sin and its corruption, and fitted by God for unbroken fellowship with him. That's the first aspect of the believer's sure hope. Our next body is best. The second aspect of the believer's sure hope is our next life is perfect. Look at verses 2 through 4. For in this tent we groan, longing to be. Put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on, we may be found, not 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.

7:58First of all, don't be confused by the kind of the mixing of metaphors here in verse 2. Paul's got the house being put on as if it a piece of clothing. That's really not a problem, because we understand that Paul is eagerly looking forward to receiving this glorified resurrection body, which is really a building or a heavenly dwelling, that replaces this temporary earthly body, a tent. Now, also in verse 3, some of you are confused by Paul's use of naked. If indeed by putting it on, we may not be found naked.

8:52In this context, to be naked is to be without a body. So, to To help you out, Paul is actually speaking of or assumes three different states. We can be clothed with an earthly body, we can be naked, or we can be clothed with a heavenly body. Paul desires for Christ to return during his lifetime so that he might experience this change from an earthly body directly into his heavenly body, just like Christ's body of glory.

9:39He prefers not to be naked, which would result if he were to die prior to the resurrection of our earthly bodies into our heavenly body at Christ's return. This dislike of being naked is reinforced in verse 4. 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. Paul's desire while in this earthly body is not to become unclothed or to become naked, but rather to become more fully clothed, which is to get that heavenly body.

10:31Now, you might wonder why that was such a big deal in the context. Remember what Alan has spoken to repetitively, and that is the era of Gnosticism that was in the church and in Corinth. Paul's preference to avoid being naked, that kind of middle state, also corrects the Gnostic error that influenced certain members of the Corinthian church. Gnostics regarded the separation of the soul and the body, that is, being naked, as desirable. Gnosticism hated the physical. They saw matter as evil. That led the idea that at death, the immortal soul would once and all be freed from the body to float around in the spiritual world. Death would free the Gnostic from the bondages of the body.

11:30But Paul strongly disagrees with this. Paul was not looking for a release from his body. He was looking for the next body. He was looking for a body that was perfect. Jesus had a resurrection body, and Paul wants one like that, so that he can serve, glorify, honor. And praise God through the means of this glorified body. But more than just desiring a better body, Paul desires a perfect life. Paul is unfulfilled, he is incomplete, he is imperfect. He's weary of the frustrations of this life, the disappointments, the limitations, the weaknesses, the sins, the disabilities of this life plague him, and he's had enough.

12:43And so, verse 10, he aches, he sighs, he yearns for that next life, that this mortal life, look at the end of verse 10, might be swallowed up by that which is immortal, incorruptible, eternal, and perfect. That's the second aspect of the believer's sure hope. Our next life is perfect. The third aspect of the believer's sure hope is that the next existence is guaranteed. Actually, our next existence was planned from the beginning. And it is guaranteed to be fulfilled in the future. God's glorious purpose for believers stretches from eternity past to eternity future. Look at verse 5. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. What is yet in the future for the believers was prepared by God in the past.

14:05God's plan unfolds according to his plan and will. In eternity past, God sovereignly chose believers for salvation. In time, he redeemed them, and in the future, he's going to give them a glorified resurrection body. Paul set forth this truth very clearly. And look at the passage behind me: Romans 8:28. For we know that those who love God, all things together work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose, for whom those he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many others. Brothers, But those whom he predestined, he also called, and those he called, he justified, and those he justified, he also glorified.

15:13In addition to the knowledge that our next existence was planned from the beginning, the believer's sure hope is reinforced by the knowledge that God has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. The indwelling Holy Spirit is God's promise that His ultimate purpose for believers will be fulfilled. It is God's guarantee that the believers are His possession and that He will redeem them to the praise of His glory. That is the third aspect of the believer's sure hope. The next existence was planned from the beginning and is guaranteed to be fulfilled in the future. The fourth aspect of the believer's sure hope is that the next dwelling is with the Lord. Look at verses 6 through 8.

16:17So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of Good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. There's kind of an implicit therefore at the beginning of verse 6. In fact, some of the translations that you all might have may have the word therefore.

16:45In light of the foundational truths in verses 1 through 5, therefore, or in the ESV, so Paul was always of good courage, even in the face of death. His courage was not a temporary feeling or a passing emotion. As Philip Hughes in his commentary notes, it was not dependent upon moods or circumstances. It was not dependent upon whether the Lord comes before or after death. The good courage that animates the apostle is as permanent and serene as the Spirit dwelling within.

17:34This courage, this good courage, is enhanced, is enhanced by the knowledge in verse 6 of we know. We know that to be at home in the body is to be away from our real home as with the Lord. We know, if you look at the verse behind me, John 14:2, in my father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would not have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there may you be also.

18:20John MacArthur refers to this as heavenly homesickness. Heavenly homesickness is a desire to be where He is. So I ask you as an early practical application, brothers and sisters: do you love God enough to be homesick when you are away from Him? In verse 7, Paul makes a parenthetical statement between obviously between 6 and 8. For we walk by faith, not by sight. This parenthetical statement explains how believers can have fellowship with and serve the invisible God in this life. We are presently with the Lord through faith, not by presence or appearance. Such faith is not a wishful fantasy. It's not a vague hope. It's a strong confidence grounded in the truth of Scripture.

19:27Paul returns to the truth. Of good courage after this parenthetical statement. Good courage is mentioned in verse 6. It's repeated here in verse 8 with a slight twist. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Paul was always positive towards the future, despite that constant looming threat of death in his life. Death is welcome even if it involves a period of nakedness, that's not his preference, or it is also preferable to being with the Lord rather than away from him. And so, in verse 8, it is: even if I have to be naked for a period of time, I would still rather be with the Lord than to be away from him. And that is the fourth aspect of the believer's sure hope. The next dwelling is with the Lord.

20:36And the fifth aspect of the believer's sure hope is that next reality includes rewards. Look at verse 9. So, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done. In the body, whether good or evil. Notice very clearly, we see in verse 10 that divine judgment is inevitable. We must all appear.

21:18It is universal. We must all appear. And it is individual, so that each one may receive his due. So, in this text, we see our aim and our motive as we look at divine judgment. What is our aim? Look at verse 9. Our aim is to please him. Pleasing God was what described Paul's entire existence. He was so in love with Christ that he saw it as his goal, his ambition, no matter where he was, no matter what he was doing, to bring pleasure to Jesus Christ. John MacArthur likens Paul to a violinist who really didn't care that much for the applause of the audience, but he did care deeply for the smile of the master who taught him to play.

22:31Like Paul, our aim should be to please Jesus Christ. The thing we think about, the thing that motivates us, the thing that drives us, should be to please Jesus Christ. Whether we are a child, a parent, a student, a worker, a retiree, we should please to aim Jesus Christ. Borrowing an analogy from Derek Thomas, husbands, do you remember when you fell in love with your wife? Do you remember trying to woo her? All the flowers you bought, all those meals that you paid for, all those gifts that you sent to her, all those times you forced yourself to be sweet, all those times you actually uttered charming words, and all those times you were actually on time.

23:45Why? You were driven by one motivation. You wanted to please her. We won't comment on how well you do after you've gotten married. That's a different discussion. Well, that's the way it is. Is with Jesus Christ. We are in love with him, and we want to please him in everything we do. That's our aim. But what is our motive? The reason we want to please Christ is because that's what the for means at the beginning of verse 10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

24:26That's our motive. So, what is the nature of this divine judgment for Christians in verse 10? For the Christian, this judgment is not to determine entrance into the kingdom. This is not a judgment for sin. Rather, this judgment determines our rewards, our status, our authority in the kingdom. That is the fifth promise of the believer's sure hope. The next reality includes rewards. So, as a reminder, the central point of this sermon was that the sure hope of the believer was planned from the beginning, and it guarantees a perfect body, a perfect life, a perpetual dwelling with the Lord. So, in closing, let me make. Two appeals.

25:32The first appeal is to those of you in this room that call themselves believers. Believers, there is a day of reckoning to come. To appear in verse 10 in the original Greek means to be laid bare, stripped of every outward facade of responsibility and respectability, and openly revealed in the full and true character of what you are. To appear means that all of our hypocrisies, all of our secret sins, all of our secret deeds will be open to the scrutiny of Christ.

26:31In that day of appearance, both the hypercritical and the hypocritical will be shown for what they really are. This appearance or judgment should motivate us to Christian living that is marked by complete integrity, both in what is apparent and what is not apparent to one's fellow man. So that the outward and the inward person are one and the same. This judgment is a reminder to the believer that although we have been justified by faith and we are no under law, but we are under grace, yet the moral values of God's universe have not ceased to be the believer's concern. On the contrary, it is precisely the believer on whose heart the law of God has been inscribed. Paul says that again in 2 Corinthians 3:3 in this very book: The heart, the law has been inscribed on our heart, and it's our lives that should display the fruit of moral consistency.

28:02At this judgment, rewards will be assigned to those who are faithful, and rewards will be withheld from those who are not. Believers will be judged and rewarded as is deserved. Brothers and sisters, that's my first appeal. The second appeal is to those who are not believers. Non-believers will also face future judgment. Romans 1:18 says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The wrath of God is revealed against not some ungodliness and unrighteousness, but all ungodliness and righteousness. No one escapes judgment on sin. God therefore stands in the place of a judge who must execute punishment.

29:12Now, non-believers, you say, what about the believers? How did they escape this judgment? Their sin will also be judged. But by God's marvelous grace and the believer's act of faith in Jesus Christ, believers become one of those whose sin is judged in Christ. Believers have the privilege of having their judgment placed on a substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who wonder why Jesus had to die on a cross, that's why. He died on the cross bearing the sins of those who believe. He carried the guilt and sin. Which was not his own, but it still had to be paid for. Therefore, when a person puts his faith in Christ, his debt is paid by that act of Christ.

30:15On the other hand, those who do not receive Jesus Christ, those who do not accept his Lordship, those who do not seek his atonement for their sin, they themselves bear the punishment themselves for their sin. And this punishment at the return of Jesus will be an irreversible, eternal separation of the righteous from the unrighteous. Jesus says in Matthew 25:46, those unrighteous shall go away into everlasting punishment, the righteous into everlasting life. Those are the two choices. One can choose to receive Christ and allow his perfect life to pay the penalty for your sin, or one can choose to pay the penalty themselves. That's a simple decision that every one of you has to make. My plea to you that do not know Christ is to place your faith in Christ's work on the cross. Cross on your behalf rather than in your own works. And if you do, you can have eternal life. And that's my second appeal. Let us close.

31:50Father, we thank you that for the believer, the future is bright. We get a perfect body, a perfect life, and a perfect perpetual dwelling with you. That is so encouraging in the midst of a world that seems to have the wheels coming off. Whether it's the virus, the upcoming election, the loss of influence that the gospel has in this very country, we know that we have a future that is much better. We also know that one day we can put aside this body of flesh, one that Is constantly tempted by sin, that is subject to decay, that is subject to illness.

33:13May we sigh, groan, desire to be freed from this body and to be in a perfect body with you for eternity. But for those in this room that have not placed their faith in Jesus' work on the cross, I plead again, do not rely on your own works. Do not rely on your attendance at church. Do not rely upon the fact that you're a good person. There's only one perfect life, and that's Jesus Christ. And only his sacrifice and death on the cross for our sins makes it possible to be in heaven.

34:08May we place our trust and faith in his work and not in our own. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, Visit us online at newlifecs.net.