Since We Know…

SINCE WE KNOW…
My Favorite Verse – Part 12
Rick Beachy August 11, 2024

“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. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, 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. 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. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.” -2 Corinthians 5:1-11 (NIV)

What do we know?
1. We have an and a .

2. We’ll all give an account for our

3. The judgment seat should .

“We know that when the body we have now dies, we’ll be given an eternal body from God when we’re with Him in Heaven. It will be a body that is made by God Himself. In the meantime, we live in these bodies that cause us to groan, and we look forward to our future Heavenly bodies, because when we receive those bodies we’ll really be alive, and our spirits will be clothed in Heavenly glory. While we are living here we groan because life can be tough – we all have physical, emotional and mental pain – but it’s not that we want to die and leave here, it’s just that we’re looking forward to what Heaven will be like and all that is waiting for us there. Our earthly bodies will be swallowed up by our Heavenly bodies and we’ll be truly alive. And that’s why God made us – to live in eternal bodies with Him forever. In fact, He has given us the Holy Spirit in these earthly bodies as a guarantee that the Heavenly bodies are waiting for us. Because of that we can live with confidence knowing that as long as we are alive in these earthly bodies we aren’t with the Lord in our new Heavenly bodies. We can’t see Heaven, or our new bodies, so we live by faith, and we know that what we believe is absolutely true. We are so confident of Heaven and all that waits for us that we’d rather to be there instead of being here – I mean I’d much rather be with Jesus than be stuck here in this temporary body. But whether we’re here, or in Heaven, our goal is to please Jesus in all that we do. Because one day every believer will stand before Christ as He sits on His judgment seat, and He will judge the things we did as believers – He will give, or withhold, rewards based on what we did for Him in this earthly life. Since we know that we’ll all stand before Him and give an account of what we’ve done in these earthly bodies, and I’m in fearful awe of thinking I’ll stand in front of Him and have to give an account of wasted time and wasted opportunities, we try to persuade other believers, and non-believers, to get ready to meet Him by living their lives for Him now. God knows all about us – we can’t hide anything from Him. I hope you also know how we’ve lived our lives.” -2 Corinthians 5:1-11 (ROP)