A Building From God

Our Heavenly Dwelling

“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.” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV)

When we humans live on this earth, we live in flesh bodies which are subject to death and to the normal processes of aging. We are vulnerable to sickness, injury, or other infirmities which may plague our physical bodies. And we who believe in Jesus Christ are subject to being hated and persecuted for the sake of Christ and of his gospel, and for the sake of righteousness and our testimonies of God’s saving grace. And we are subject to natural disasters of many kinds, and wars, and many other tragedies.

So, while we live in these physical bodies we groan, longing to put on our heavenly home and to be free of these physical bodies which are our earthly homes. And we long for the presence of Almighty God and to be with our Lord Jesus face to face for eternity. But this promise of a heavenly home has with it biblical conditions. This is not for everyone who gives lip service to the Lord only. This is for all who have died with Christ to sin and who are walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, by God’s grace.

[Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Php 2:5-11: Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Jn 10:27-30; Acts 26:18]  

Good Courage

“So 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. 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.” (2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ESV)

So, while we wait for the time when Jesus takes us to be with him for eternity, and so we suffer in these physical bodies, and we suffer the pains of rejection and persecution because our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will, we are to remain as people who are of good courage and who are not fainthearted. We are not to let the cares of this world get us down. We are not to let the fearmongers of this world instill fear within our hearts and minds, too, but we are to remain steadfast in faith in our Lord.

We are to keep our minds focused on the Lord and on his purpose and plan for our lives, and on getting out the message of the gospel to as many people as possible before our Lord returns to judge the people of this earth and to take his faithful ones to be with him for eternity. And, again, not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the ones DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. So surrender your lives to Christ to do his will, and die with him to sin daily.

So, we walk by faith and not by sight. But this faith is not something generated in our own flesh or of our own worldly thinking. This faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, is persuaded of God, and is gifted to us by God. It is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we don’t get to define what this faith looks like. God does. His word does. And they say that genuine faith in Jesus results in us denying self, dying with Christ to sin daily, and walking in obedience to his commands in practice.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

So to walk by faith is to walk according to the will and purpose of God for our lives and not according to our own way of thinking and behaving. For faith is divine persuasion. And God persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to turn from our sins to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living. So by faith we die to sin daily in order that we might walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, by his grace, in his power, strength, and wisdom.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2]  

Thus, while we still live on this earth we are to make it our aim to do what pleases our Lord. And yes, the Scriptures teach that there are things that we must do in order to be pleasing to the Lord. For the Lord is not pleased on the basis of our lip service only, but on the basis of our actions in love response to his commands for how we are to live in order to please him. So we need to find out what pleases and what displeases our Lord so that we are diligent to do what pleases him and to not do what displeases him.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 5:9; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6; Gal 6:8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 5:10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:4,21; Tit 2:11-14; Tit 3:8; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6; Jas 2:17; 1 Jn 3:22] 

And the critical reason why we must learn what pleases the Lord and what displeases him is because 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. Yes! For we are created by God for good works which he planned out in advance that we should walk in them. And we must do the good works of God, in his power, and no longer walk in sin, or else we do not have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

See all the above noted Scriptures.

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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