Sun, Feb 3rd - 3:22PM

A home eternal in the Heavens

2 Corinthians 5: 1-11 ¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: ³If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. ⁴For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. ⁵Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. ⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: ⁷(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) ⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. ⁹Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

 We have a terrestrial body, there are bodies that are celestial and those that are terrestrial, one is earthy (Made of clay) and the other is heavenly (Made of spirit). The terrestrial groans to clothed upon with the spiritual one, a body celestial. The earthy house of this tabernacle, this lump of clay earnestly desires our new home eternal in the heavens! To be delivered from this body of death, for we that are in this earthly tabernacle do groan being burdened, (but one day we’ll lay these old burdens down). This life can be such a burden and as Christians we should be longing for heavens green shores, where we will stroll all over streets of gold, shout around the hills of glory, swim in the river of life that flows from the throne room of almighty God! I have a home prepared where the saints abide, just over in the glory land, with the blood washed throng I’ll shout and sing!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (literally a new creation) old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Clothed upon with the righteousness of God that we should not be found naked or unclothed. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen, there is going to a marriage supper after while have you got your invitation? He has provided the wedding garment (as it was customary for the king to do so) however when He came in to view the guests that were invited (to inspect them and weed out the undesirables thus many are called, but few chosen to remain and take part in the feast) Not having on the wedding garments which are provided in Christ the white linen spoken of in Revelations. What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. I want to be ready when my change comes, don’t you? That is what Old Job said, I’m waiting for my change to come!

Romans 8:17-25 heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God, because the creature itself also shall be delivered. from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, a new creation) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it?

 Now he that wrought the selfsame thing for us is God, the first fruits of those who are changed from the bondage of corruption to the glorious liberty of the children of God!  This corruptible must put on incorruption. The first fruits of those who are raised from death unto eternal life! The redeemed of God; let the redeemed of the Lord say so! Romans 8:15 if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be but, we do know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; we shall see Him as He is! And we shall be changed in the moment in the twinkling of an eye.

 We know that to be at home in this body of flesh is to be absent from the Lord. Therefore we can say with confidence that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord! If we try to save our life, we will lose it, (Through the wonders of modern science, wonder drugs, the world is going vitamin crazy, they take penicillin so they don’t catch something and now there are new strands of viruses that have become immune to it, flu shots and everything else, not that I see anything wrong with a flu shot, but let’s face it everybody wants to go to heaven but, nobody wants to die! we must be willing at all times to give up this mortal and put on immortality!  As Dad preached the other night Paul said I’m ready to be offered up, the time of my departure is at hand, he knew he had insurance beyond the grave, protection for the soul!

 2 Corinthians 4: 10-18   for which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 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.

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