Ultimate Fitness, Part 2

If you would sing the chorus
on verse 2 like I did, even after being told not to, tough to do
on that song. John has to make the hard mistakes.
He’s tasked as my cupbearer or gatekeeper, as it were, and I
tell him a quarter till no matter what. And so sometimes hard decisions
like that have to be made. Great song and great singing.
If you would take your Bibles And turn to Second Corinthians
once again, if you would. Several weeks ago, somebody made
the gave me the brotherly feedback that perhaps we were a little
bit heavy on review at times, and I certainly understand that
sometimes I’m not doing it for you. Sometimes I’m doing it for
others, but I’ve had to resort to putting major sections of
my notes in paperclips so that I cannot access them with ease
because it is such a temptation to delve right back into those
passages and and spend more time in those sections than we already
have. But for the sake of time, we
want to zero in a little bit more today back into this great
passage, this great section. In preparing for this week, I
was just thinking of the mindset of unbelievers regarding
death, because it’s completely the opposite of Paul’s view here. Unbelievers have almost a morbid
fear No intended play on words there. A morbid fear of death,
a fixation with it because it is so unknown and it seems so
absolute and there’s so much misinformation out there about
it. And when it strikes, whether a loved one or a friend, it is
utterly devastating to those who do not know Christ. And we certainly remember those
sentiments, even from our own lives, what it was like to be
outside of Christ without hope, without God, and to be in a place
where we didn’t know what took place after death, after physical
death. And to have that kind of fear
and anxiety and wonderment. Paul deals with that very thing
here. And he offers believers encouragement. And he reminds us of hope. And he reminds us that death
is not the end. And Paul did the same thing for
the Thessalonian believers because even Christians can slip back
into this woe is me mentality with regards to death. Even sickness. Even the frustrations of life
tend to build up. And we think that that’s all
there is. Paul told the Thessalonian believers, we do not mourn like
those who have no hope. Even when a brother or sister
or someone that we love dies, we mourn. We won’t see them anymore
on this earth, but we don’t mourn like those who have no hope,
who have no Christ. Such are the words before us
here, their words of hope and encouragement. And if you would,
I want to go back all the way to the beginning of verse 16
of chapter four, chapter four, verse 16. We’ll pick it up in
full. Where Paul wrote, therefore,
we do not lose heart. But though our outer man is decaying,
yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary light
affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far
beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things
which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not
seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly
tent, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building
from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For indeed, in this house we groan, longing to be clothed
with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it
on, will not be found naked. For indeed, while we are in this
tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be
unclothed, but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be
swallowed up by life.” Now, He who prepared us for this very
purpose is God. who gave to us the Spirit as
a pledge. Therefore, being always of good
courage and knowing that while we are at home in the body, we
are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith and not by sight,
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent
from the body and to be home with the Lord. Therefore, we
have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing
to Him For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ
so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according
to what he has done, whether good or bad. Now, in weeks past,
I provided a very simple little mental picture for you. We have
a series of concentric circles, the greatest of which is the
scriptures itself. If you wanted an even greater
concentric circle, you could say all of the revelation of
God. But inside of that concentric circle is the Scriptures. Inside
of that one is the New Testament. Inside of that one is 2 Corinthians.
Inside of 2 Corinthians is this great section, beginning in chapter
2, verse 12, coursing through chapter 6, verse 10, all about
the Christian ministry. And inside of that concentric
circle is this little address that Paul began in chapter 4,
verse 16, that we have entitled, Ultimate Fitness. We have a world
crazed We have a world crazed with exercising our physical
bodies and being in shape and being toned and being healthy
and somehow attempting through that to extend our years on the
earth, all of which is dubious from a Christian standpoint.
But the ultimate fitness, true fitness is spiritual fitness,
a spiritual readiness for heaven. And that’s the focus here all
the way from chapter 4 all the way down through chapter 5, verse
10. The body. It’s the body that’s
in view and spiritual life in the body. That’s what Paul is
considering here. Spiritual vigor in a physical
frame. That’s what we’re considering.
Paul is still in this great section of the ministry. But what he
wants to do is impart the hope that he has as a servant of Christ
to those he serves by giving them the reminder of what happens
to this physical body and how we can sustain ministry, how
we can sustain joy and hope in the midst of this earthly walk
in this physical body. Paul had already mentioned death.
Paul had already brought up the whole idea of death just as he
did to the Philippians. We’ll come back around there
near the end of the morning. Paul wasn’t afraid of dying.
Paul wasn’t afraid of death. That’s the very illustration,
if you go back to chapter 4, and we’ve looked at it a number
of times, but I want to take you there again. Because the
ultimate illustration that Paul comes up with for that whole
section the perplexity, the persecution, the afflictions, the frustrations,
being struck down. And I take that to mean physically
speaking. Paul says that all rolls into
one little illustration and that of dying, always caring about,
verse 10, in the body, the dying of Jesus. How is it that we carry
the body in our physical bodies, the dying of Jesus by what he
had just mentioned? And that leads Paul to the conclusion
that death is at work in us every day. Death works in us. And so, Paul, it’s as if Paul
says, OK, so what if I’m dying? I’m dying, so what if I do? My concern is how do we live?
That’s Paul’s concern. How do we live in these tents,
these temporary dwelling for the soul, how do we live in these
in a spiritual manner as we move heavenward? The first section,
and I’ve helped you hopefully with the bulletin in just reminding
you where we were in that first great section, the first great
section there in verse 16, we might entitle spiritual restoration. It is the promise of spiritual
restoration that, first of all, is the great hope of the believer,
the encouragement to our hearts. We believe that day by day, as
God has already told us, that day by day, evermore, we are
being spiritually restored. Now, we look at that. We don’t
lose heart. We don’t quit, even though our
outer man is decaying. And I didn’t get any protests
about that. Even though our outer man is
decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed every day, day
by day. Spiritually speaking, there is
a dwelling being built up that ultimately will be ours in full
in a glorified state. And Paul says it is already taking
place. And then that great diversion,
if you will, where Paul takes in verses 17 through five, four.
And we spent time on there and I’m not going to spend any more
than just a briefly course over it and review it. That spiritual
restoration doesn’t happen by accident, it doesn’t happen if
we just sit back, it happens as a result of a changed mindset,
perspectives and desires, loves are changed. And because of that,
we begin to focus our attention on areas that we previously had
not. What were they? First of all,
a wealth of glory. Look at verses 17 and 18. An
affliction is that affliction, momentary light affliction is
producing for us an eternal weight of glory. But not only that,
a glorified body. We spent three weeks just looking
at what that body is to be like. Paul just glances through it.
and tells us we have a building from God. And he did so. He did
so in brief fashion because he had spent an entire chapter in
first Corinthians already addressing the physical body. We keep our
eyes focused as we believe and we trust as we refuse to give
in and we refuse to quit. Because we know. That our inner
man is being renewed day by day, and we know because we have our
focus there. We’re focusing on a wealth of
glory. We’re focusing on a glorified
body. And thirdly, we notice that we
are focusing on a finality to death. Look at verse two and
following. Indeed, in this house, we groan
in this tent. Anybody who’s ever gone camping
certainly can empathize with that. It’s not home. You don’t
have all the luxuries and all the attempts to make camping
like home are kind of whimsical to me. No matter what they add,
it still isn’t home. It’s still not comfortable. To
me, it’s still not fun. It’s camping. Indeed, in this
house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from
heaven. We can’t wait for our glorified bodies because ultimately
that means a finality to death. No more achiness. No more camping. No more frustrations. No more
sinful tendencies. Paul says indeed, verse 4, while
we are in this tent, we groan being burdened. We are utterly
overwhelmed because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed.
We long for that heavenly body. We long for that glorified state
so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. We long
for life. That’s what we want. We want
to live. We want to thrive. We want to
glorify God in that condition forever. And that brings us to
point two. I’ve suggested that there in
this passage are four encouragements for Christian life in the physical
body. Four encouragements for spiritual
life in the physical body. And that’s why we called it spiritual
vigor in a physical frame. Look at verse 5, though. In verse
5, we have the pledge from a faithful God. The pledge from a faithful
God. Verse 5, Now he who prepared
us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as
a pledge. First of all, what is the purpose
that Paul is talking about here? When Paul says this very purpose,
what is it that he’s pointing to? It could be something below
as we read on, but I don’t think that’s the case at all. When
Paul mentions this very purpose, he’s looking back immediately
over his shoulder at all that we have just reviewed. Should
I go through it again? Paul says, look, as I refuse
to quit, as I know in my heart that even though my physical
frame is decaying, yet I have this spiritual dwelling laid
up in heaven for me. And I’m focused upon these great
themes. I’ve focused upon the glory that
is to be given. I’m focused upon this spiritual
body that one day will be given. I’m focused upon an end to death
and suffering and all of this earthly struggle. That’s the
purpose. He who prepared us for this very
purpose to receive this glorified state is God. This little phrase for this very
purpose states with absolute emphasis that believers receive
these glorified bodies as a fulfillment of a plan that God put in place
in his sovereign will. As one said, what is yet future
for believers was prepared by God in the past and 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 will give them their glorified, resurrected bodies. God’s purpose for believers stretches
from eternity to eternity. It was planned in eternity past
and will be fulfilled in eternity future. What great encouragement
is that? If that’s all we had to walk
out of here with even this morning, if that’s all I said, what great
encouragement is that? that God from eternity past purposed
to glorify you. If you are in Christ, God purposed
from eternity past, not just to save you, but to perfect you,
to make you as He originally created you to be. These words
do point backwards. They point to everything being
clothed so that that mortality would be swallowed up by life.
As he says in verse 4, the main focus of the Christian’s desire
wasn’t even the resurrection alone. It’s not just that we’re
looking to the resurrection. Not even to the change. I know
we’re all curious, especially after three weeks of looking
at what that body might be like. But that isn’t even our main
focus. It’s the glorified state. Immediately
following death to know that we are going to be perfect in
glory with Christ forever. Look back again at verse five,
though. Because in the Greek, the word order is quite different. And the word God is in a position
of emphasis. It isn’t enough to underline
it. It isn’t enough to boldface it, italicize whatever you want
to do, enlarge the font. It’s not enough. It’s as if Paul
says, it is God. It is God who prepared us. It’s God that made us ready. It’s God that saved us. It’s God that sent his son. It’s God that secured our salvation. It’s God that came and applied
that blood to us. It’s God that enlivened us. It’s
God. God prepared us through this
plan of redemption. God did it. We believe. Because we believe,
we look forward with joyous expectation to heaven because it’s all the
handiwork of God. And when we get there, we will
say, God did it, not me. None of us will lay claim to
our room. None of us will race and argue with anyone else over
what room we occupy as if we earned it or deserved it. Through all The operations of
his spirit through the work of Christ on the cross, through
God’s own plan of redemption, working down through the centuries,
ultimately touching you and I, it’s God. One said it this way, this process
of being clothed with these spiritual glorified bodies is in no sense
the product of man’s workmanship. This, the crowning experience
of God’s work of grace in the believer is entirely of God. The good work begun in the Christian
by God will be carried through to completion by God until it
reaches perfection in the day of Jesus Christ.” Just as Paul
said in Philippians 1.6. It’s God. It’s God that did it. It’s God that prepared us. It’s
God that ultimately will complete that work. We’re in good hands. We’re in God’s hands. He’s begun
the work in you. He’s called you to repentance. He’s given to you the Savior.
He has secured for you forgiveness because of the sacrifice that
Christ Secured on the cross. He has begun the work of sanctification
in your hearts. Those of you who know Christ
can look at your hearts and your lives and know without a shadow
of a doubt that God has begun something in you. And what great
recollection to know that it’s God that’s at work and that God
will complete it. What confidence, one said, what
certainty this that this work is altogether of God, and because
it is God’s work, it will be done. There can be no place for
failure or frustration with God. We can’t pass that by. He who
prepared us to receive this glorified state is God. But not only that, God’s not
finished. It’s not as if God was obligated,
but God put himself in a position and he gave to us a down payment.
It’s not like we wouldn’t take God’s word for it. But God, out
of his abundant grace, said, let me give you a taste of proof,
a taste of glory. Look back at verse five. Now,
he who prepared us for this very purpose is God who gave to us
the spirit as a pledge. It just keeps getting better
for the Christian. He goes on to reinforce what
he had already stated. All the confidence that he himself
possesses and the confidence that he’s trying to infuse his
fellow believers with there in Corinth. That death wasn’t to
be feared, but rather embraced and welcomed. Not only the knowledge,
the awareness that God was the one that had already done these
things. And that as we looked with spiritual eyes, we can see
all these things laid out for us. But above and beyond all
that, Paul says, not only that, but God gave us the Holy Spirit
as a down payment, a pledge, a down payment. You mean we wouldn’t
have taken an IOU from God? We wouldn’t have taken God at
His word? Perhaps. I doubt it. Not even God would
we take that kind of promise from. But God gives us the indwelling
Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit dwelling in us as a down payment, a promise,
a pledge that His ultimate purpose in our lives will be fulfilled. There’s no doubt about it. This
is the absolute certainty about which Paul has already spoken.
He is absolutely convinced that this will take place. He is absolutely
mindful that God has begun to work and God will complete it.
He knows because the spirit is within him. We not only have the assurance
of God’s word, God could have left it at that and he would
have been justified in expecting us to believe it. But beyond
that, he gives this down payment of the Holy Spirit. And look
at this. I mean, it takes place so many times throughout Scripture.
And let me just remind you that that is the reason that we ultimately
get into heaven. It’s rather important. It’s because
of the spirit that dwells in us by faith while we are here,
that we are raised hereafter. The body is like the seed, remember? And when it possesses that principle
of life, though it goes into the ground, yet it is raised
again, much like the vegetable kingdom that we focused upon.
The seed which you sow, 1 Corinthians 15.36, the seed which you sow
does not come to life unless it dies. That which you sow,
you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps
of wheat or something else. But God gives it a body just
as He wished. It’s the Spirit dwelling within
us. that gives us hope, that gets
us to heaven. Romans chapter 8. Would you turn
there just briefly? Romans chapter 8. Keep your finger
in 2 Corinthians. Romans chapter 8, verse 1. And as much as I would like to
and spend more time, I am just going to just read a couple of
verses here for our purposes this morning. Romans chapter
8. I was talking with somebody as you’re turning. This is not
in any, I hope, I pray, not in any attempt to be presumptuous,
but I’ve already begun mapping out if the Lord gives me another
10 years, if the Lord gives me 20 years, what books of the Bible
are most important to preach? Where would I go next after 2
Corinthians and after Philippians and after Luke? Where would I
go next? And this is at least one of them.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set
you free from the law of sin and death. I want you to skip
down to verse nine if you would. However, you are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. If you are in Christ, Paul says
the Spirit of God is dwelling in you. Because of that, you
are no longer mastered by the sin and flesh. Go on if you would. But if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in
you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit
is alive because of righteousness. And look at the great news in
verse 11. But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ
Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
through his spirit who dwells in you. What great news. You
who have repented, who have confessed your sin and fallen on knees
of repentance and ask Christ to your heart. You have become
a Christian. You have begun to walk. You have
seen those sins that gripped you for so long fall off like
so much scaffolding. What great news to know that
the Spirit has been at work in you and He will not quit. He
will not quit until He raises you out of the dead ground and
glorifies your body. If you need any more encouragement
than that. Just the fact, just the fact
that you are under heavy conviction at any point in your life means
that the Spirit is pressing upon you, doing His work. If you’re under conviction, that
means the Spirit of God is pressing upon you. The Spirit of God is
working on you. As one said, the down payment
of the spirit is not a mere lifeless deposit. Not like what we take
to the bank and leave there to lie and to begin the process
of rot and decay in this economy. The down payment of the spirit
is not a mere lifeless deposit, but the active enlivening operation
of the Holy Spirit within the believer. assuring him that the
same principle of power which brought about the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead is also present and at work within
us, preparing our mortal bodies for the consummation of redemption
and glorification of our bodies.” What encouraging words! Not just that the Apostle says
that God is the One that has prepared us, but the reminder
that the Spirit is within us and the echo from our hearts
says, yea and amen. He is at work. The Spirit, Romans 8.16, Himself
testifies within our spirit that we are children of God. We have the Spirit. Paul’s one
of Paul’s favorite subjects is the spirit indwelling of the
believer. Listen to a few Ephesians, chapter one. Ephesians, chapter
one, verse 13, in him, you also after listening to the message
of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed
you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise. Who was
given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption
of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. In other
words, God made a down payment. And if the spirit is at work
with you, you can be absolutely sure. The God will complete that
work. Romans 5, Romans 5, 5, the love
of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit
who was given to us. First Corinthians 6, 19. Do you
not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you? There’s two pledges. That are
given here about this whole future glorified state that Paul has
been discussing. Not just The fact that God was
at work within them, but the spirit promised or spirit of
promise given as a pledge. As one Puritan put it, God has
not only prepared us for future glory. But has given us the assurance
of immortality by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit is represented as the pledge of future life
of the body. Because He is the source of that
life, which the believer derives from Christ, body and soul. And
all, therefore, in whom the Spirit dwells, exhibiting His permanent
presence by producing within them Christian graces, have the
pledge a glorious resurrection and immediate admission into
heaven when they die. What a great promise. What a
great pledge we have residing within our own bones. That we
have the Holy Spirit comforting us, guiding us, encouraging us,
teaching us, and all the while echoing this silent refrain that
we are gods and that one day He will take us in a glorified
state to heaven. Point number three. Look at verse
six, if you would. We’re looking at ultimate fitness,
spiritual fitness, spiritual vigor in a physical frame. What
does it look like? First of all, the encouragements
are these. The first is the promise of spiritual
restoration, which we have spent so much time on. The second one,
the pledge of a faithful God. And the third, which we may just
get started today, is the preference of being with God, the preference
of being with God, the promise, the pledge, Therefore, being
always of good courage and knowing that while we are at home in
the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith
and not by sight. We are of good courage, I say,
and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home
with the Lord. When Paul starts there in verse
six, therefore, being always of good courage and knowing that
while we are at home in the body, that therefore points back to the
foundational truths that Paul had already laid there in verses
1-5, but especially verse 5. And because of those truths and
principles, Paul was always of good courage. He wasn’t going
to be shaken. He wasn’t going to lose confidence
or hope just because someone was threatening him with physical
death. It didn’t matter. Paul says, being always of good
courage. He’s full of confidence, he says,
because of the down payment of the Spirit that had been given
to him. He’d already received God’s faithful witness of the
indescribable glory that he was to be receiving. And upon death,
as one said, on the Christian’s horizon, there are no clouds. Paul looked out on the horizon
and everything was sunshine and glory. Paul was confident. And he says, we are always being. Literally, it’s a state of being. Being always of good courage.
It means he was never shaken. In every event, whether we die
or whether we live, Until the Lord returns, we have this confidence
because we have God ultimately is our security. We have the
spirit dwelling within. We have that constant echo, as
I said. One said it this way, the confidence
is not a mere temporary feeling due to some passing excitement.
We can all have that kind of confidence. We can all be built
up in some kind of human courage. This confidence is not a temporary
feeling. Being always of good courage
on all occasions, under all circumstances, even in the midst of dangers
and discouragements, which, if it were not for divine support,
would produce despair. I mean, all that we saw that
Paul was being taken through, all the shipwrecks, all the beatings,
all the trials and frustrations, all that persecution, you can’t
live under that. Not without God. You can’t live
in a confident, eager, State without God. It’s a constant
state that Paul was in, it was a state of being. It wasn’t dependent
on moods, it wasn’t dependent on his circumstances, it was
permanent and just as much a work of the Spirit in him as his own
salvation. The Spirit was constantly assuring
him, constantly keeping him at peace. And it must us as well. As one said, the ground of boldness
and confidence is not anything in the believer. I think that’s
our problem. So often, if we lack confidence,
it’s us that we’re trusting in. It’s me that I’m believing in.
It’s our own efforts. It’s our money. It’s our things. It’s our power. It’s our friends. It’s our influence. It’s our
connections. It’s all of those things. And
just like. An earthen dam, those things
all in time begin to fail, but not God. Not God. And that’s why Paul said he was
always of good courage, because his confidence was not in Paul,
it was in God. Therefore, being always of good
courage, living in this constant state of courageousness and knowing
verse six, while we are at home in the body, we are absent from
the Lord. It’s evident that Paul goes back
here to the illustration that he had begun in verse one and
following about this tent in which he was currently residing.
He calls it his home here, but he knows it’s a temporary home.
It doesn’t mean that he’s not currently living in the tent
that he is. He’s in the flesh just like you
and I. But it is our current home. It’s
where we reside here. And while we reside here, we
are absent from the Lord. Paul says, look, I’m in this
tent. I don’t like it. I’d prefer to be it. in my glorified
body with God in heaven. But here I reside. This is where
I am now. But when Paul here says that while we are at home in
the body, we are absent from the Lord, it doesn’t mean an
absence in a total sense. It doesn’t mean that we are completely
apart from God in any kind of relationship with him. That would
run contrary to almost everything that is said about the subject
in the New Testament. Calvin said it this way, God
is present with all mankind because he sustains them by his power.
As Paul told the heathen in Athens, in him we live and move and have
our being. He is present with his faithful
ones by the greater energy of his spirit. He lives in them.
He dwells in their midst. And so with them. But in the
meantime, he is absent from us in that he does not yet present
himself to be seen face to face, because as yet we are exiles
from his kingdom and lack the blessed immortality which the
angels who are with him are privileged to enjoy. What Calvin says at
great length there is that, look, if we are in Christ, Christ is
in us. And if Christ is in us, we have
a living and vibrant relationship with him. But we are apart. There
are several even in our congregations that are apart from their loved
ones. They are not unmarried. Believers, another said, communicate
with the Lord through prayer and the study of the word, they
have communion with him through the indwelling spirit. And yet
there is a sense. There is a sense in which they
are separated from God and long for that separation to end. It
is only in heaven that believers will have intimate, unbroken
fellowship with God. What a great promise. Just like
the down payment of the Holy Spirit, we already have a down
payment in our communion with God, and it will only grow for
the believer. It will only become more and
more and more profound until the day we are with him forever
face to face. Think of the words of Revelation.
Revelation 21, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
behold, the tabernacle of God is among men. He will dwell among
them and they shall be his people and God himself will be among
them. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there
will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning
or crying or pain. The first things have passed
away. Revelation 22, verse three. There will no longer be any curse.
The throne of God and the lamb will be in it. His bond servants
will serve him. They will see his face. And his name will be on their
foreheads. He talks about that intimate communion that we long
for. We’re not apart from it completely. Not in any complete sense. Paul said, I’m hard pressed. Philippians 1.23 From both directions,
having the desire to depart and be with Christ for that is very
much better. It’s not that Paul wasn’t already in Christ because
that’s one of the major themes of Paul’s epistles. Paul was
already in Christ and Christ already in Paul. And yet there
was this longing desire to be with Christ. Philippians 3.20
Our citizenship is in heaven. from which we eagerly wait for
a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Was Paul not saved? Of course
he was saved. Paul was thoroughly immersed
in Christ and Christ in him. Paul could very truly long to
see and be with Christ. One pastor said it this way,
by saying that we are absent from the Lord, Paul does not
mean to question the fact that in this life, Christ is already
present with believers. The gift of the Spirit ensures
the Savior’s presence in every believing heart. That oneness
with Christ, one of the great themes of Paul’s epistles, Christ
in me and I in Christ, is precisely for the purpose of avoiding any
misunderstanding that the parenthesis of verse seven is inserted. Look
at verse seven. Therefore, being always of good courage and knowing
that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from
the Lord for we walk by faith, not by sight. He says, I’m not
doubting my relationship with Christ. I have it by faith. I just cannot wait to see him.
I cannot wait to see him and behold him and be with him. It’s
a parenthesis, it’s merely inserted there. To clarify and to avoid
any misunderstanding there. That the Christian here in this
life. Does not have a relationship, a vibrant relationship with the
Lord. Paul doesn’t mean that while
we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord in an ultimate
or spiritual sense, as I said. Our union with him. Both in death and in life, is
one of Paul’s primary doctrines. What Paul is saying here is that
life or death offer different perspectives
of Christ. The life of faith currently less
close and intimate than the life of seeing Christ face to face,
being in communion with Him. And Paul says, because of that,
we are of good courage. Look at verse 8. We are of good
courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and
to be at home with the Lord.” Paul wasn’t despairing of life
here. Paul isn’t saying, you know what, look, life’s too difficult.
Paul’s not looking to take the easy way out. Paul’s not looking
to end it all. Paul just says, look, putting
everything in perspective, I cannot wait. I cannot wait to see Christ. We are of good courage. We take
heart in our struggles. We take heart in our persecutions.
We take heart in the frustration, the frailties of life. We take
heart in that because we know. But we prefer. We have a preference. It isn’t death itself that we
seek, but ultimately speaking, we can’t wait. Paul longs deeply to have that
glorified body. to exchange for his physical
body, because that meant presence with Christ. He was ready to
die if that’s what it was, if that’s what God had for him,
because it would be better for him to see the Lord than to be
deprived, even though he would be ultimately, if he were to
be ultimately happy on this earth. Paul says we’re not despondent,
we’re not giving up. Death isn’t an object of dread
for the Christian any longer. Not this Christian. In Philippians, chapter one,
Paul said again, I am hard pressed from both directions. Having
the desire to depart and be with Christ for that is very much
better yet to remain on in the flesh is for necessary for your
sake. Convinced of this, I know I will remain and continue with
you for your progress and joy in the faith. For Paul, either
one was a good option. Paul wished to depart from the
body and to be with Christ, but if God had more work for him
on this earth, to please Christ in those labors would be fine
for Paul. As one Puritan said, The Christian’s heaven is to
be with Christ. For we shall be like Him when
we see Him as He is. It is into His presence the believer
passes as soon as he is absent from the body. And into His likeness,
the soul is immediately transformed at death. And at the resurrection,
when the body is made like His glorious body, the work of redemption
is finally complete. Awaiting this consummation It
is an inestimable blessing to be assured that believers, as
soon as they are absent from the body, are present with the
Lord. We can’t wait. Let’s pray. Gracious God, we thank you for
these words of comfort and encouragement. We thank you that while we are
here in these physical bodies, You have given us perspective.
You’ve given us encouragement. To live out our time on this
earth so as to please you and glorify you in all things and
always. Lord, we thank you and praise
you. That you have promised us a spiritual
restoration, a renewal of sorts. In an ultimate way. And that
is a promise from a faithful God Lord, it’s no wonder that Paul,
like us, we prefer, we would long to be home. We look forward
to that day. Lord, we thank You and praise
You for Your Word and for Your encouragement to our own hearts.
It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray, Amen.