Walking Towards Eternity

Walking Towards Eternity
2 Corinthians 5:1-15
April 6, 2025

          As we continue in Corinthians, we see that Paul keeps reminding the Corinthians of their future in eternity. He keeps drawing them towards and nudging them forward to see everything from a different perspective.

          You will remember that previously he reminded them that on this earth, we are living in fragile, temporary clay pots. These are earthen vessels, but there is a treasure of eternity inside of those who belong to Christ. We are carriers of the good news of Jesus.

          That’s a great picture because it puts it all in perspective. What’s more important, the clay pot, the earthen vessel, or the great treasure of glory it contains?

          This is a great encouragement, and, we do not lose heart, because, though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day. You don’t have to be very old to know that our outer man is decaying.

          This life is just temporary; there is a greater glory waiting for us. We walk through this troubled world in, as Paul calls it,  these broken-down tents, longing for that greater glory.

          But we don’t just long for that greater glory, God is preparing us for it. In fact, the troubles and difficulties of this life are producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, Paul said.

          What we do here on earth also affects eternity. With that perspective it changes the meaning and purpose of how and for what we live now.

          Paul continues to explain the powerful truths and the impact of the finished work of Christ, drawing us to keep that focus and live with an eternal perspective.

     I. Be Clothed with the Eternal

Paul starts by using the analogy of a house. We are now, in these bodies, in a dwelling. But it is temporal. Just like living in a tent.

Illus – Camping in a tent is fun, but only for so long… I remember when we did a 5 day walk in the mountains… We also once camped for two weeks where we encountered rain and thunderstorms.

The older you get, the more you recognize that this life is like living in a tent. When the storms and the winds come, you need to find shelter in something solid. When this tent eventually starts to wear down, leak or tear, you start to long for a house that is solidly built.

    A. Do not be found naked

• Verse 3 – …will not be found naked.
• There is another place in the Bible where we find this reference. You’ll remember that as soon as Adam and Eve ate off the fruit, the Bible says that their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked.
• Before that moment, they were sinless. They were in the presence of God. They were clothed with God’s glory. They were living and operating in a different realm and dimension.
• I think we cannot begin to imagine the cataclysmic event the fall actually was. They were ripped from the presence of God, stripped of His glory, and fell into the mortal state with their eyes now only being able to perceive the physical, broken, naked state they were in.
• Immediately they became self-conscious and Self-aware. The focus became the ‘self’ and the inadequacy of the self.
• Paul is referencing here that when we lay down this earthly body and step into eternity, we will have glorified bodies, just like Christ had when he rose from the dead.
• But I also believe that he is alluding to something deeper as well. One day when we lay down these mortal bodies and step into eternity, we will step into that spiritual dimension again.
• There will be a moment of being confronted with the truth of eternity when we stand before the way, the truth, and the life.
• We will see God in all His glory and all His splendor and there will be a moment of realization, just like Adam and Eve had, that we are naked and ashamed before God when we look at our lives.
• This can be a scary revelation.
• But there is wonderful, glorious news. Those who believe in Christ will not be found naked, without covering, having to be ashamed.
• We will be clothed with Christ, we will be clothed in a finished work of Christ, and we will be accepted in the beloved, who is Jesus, clothed in His splendor and His beauty, never having to be ashamed.
• All because the shame and the past has been washed away and there is no reference to it any more. We have been made righteous by the blood of the lamb.

     B. Walk in this purpose

• Paul continues to say that while we are on this earth, we groan and feel burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but be clothed.
• In other words, as we are now still walking in this earthly life, we sometimes feel unclothed when we are confronted with the things of this world.
• But there is a longing in our heart to be clothed with that eternity when this mortal life will be swallowed up by eternity never to be seen again.
• He reminds us that we must remember that God has prepared us for this very purpose. What is that purpose? He’s referring to the purpose of being with God for eternity. That is why we were created.
• We were not created with this world, with its hills and valleys, defeats and triumphs as the final destination in mind.
• This ties in with what Jesus said in John 6 when they asked him what the works of God is that they must do.

John 6:29, Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

• As I said when we studied John 6 last week, God’s greatest purpose for you and the work that He wants you to do is to believe in Jesus Christ, because then you are fulfilling your purpose for eternity: Being with God.
• This shows us the heart and the love of the Father. It is not His will that any should perish, but that all should have eternal life.
• This purpose should be our preeminent focus in this life and in everything we do. This is why the life of Christ becomes our life.
• Many people think that if you talk about heaven and about the afterlife that it is just an escapism mentality, but it is actually something we should be longing for because that is where our real lives are.

Illus – I remember when I was young, they used to close every service with the words, Maranatha, Jesus comes soon.

Illus – How I long to breath the air of heaven…

    II. Walk by Faith

• Walk by faith and not by sight is a very famous verse and often misunderstood. Some take it to mean that faith is blind, but that’s not it at all.
• As you’re living your life in this broken-down world, walk by faith and live by faith. You’re believing in what you have not seen, but your faith is not blind.
• You have not seen God, but you have seen the evidence of God all around you.

Romans 1:20, For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood to what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

• You have not seen Christ risen from the dead, but it’s quite reasonable to believe those who have.

John 20:28-29, Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

• In these verses Paul tells us how to walk by faith.

    A. Live with ambition

• This sounds very wrong in this context. Ambition has become such a self-centered word. When we think of ambition, we think of people climbing the corporate ladder, stepping on other people to get ahead, elevating the self.
• But Paul uses ambition in a different context and perspective. He says that we should have ambition, but our ambition should be to be pleasing to the Lord.
• Again, it is even important to see this in the right perspective. Because wanting to be pleasing to the Lord can again pull you into doing works to try and be acceptable to God. We can never be made acceptable or justified before God by our works or doing good things.
• It is the other way around. Because we have been justified and because God loved us, we now live a life that honors Him which brings Him worship and glory.
• We live with a different perspective than the ones around us. Our ambition should be, in everything, to be pleasing to the Lord, to be focused on doing the things that pleases God, which has value and weight in heaven and in eternity.

    B. We will be judged

• Verse 10 – it is important to understand this judgment seat from the right perspective because it fits in with the ambition that we live from.
• The judgment Paul refers to here is the judgment of the Saints where there will be a prize giving and a judging of the things that we did while in the body on this earth.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

• Everything we did on this earth will be tested. That which was selfish, fleshly, not honoring and glorifying God, will be burnt and destroyed.
• That which was done selflessly, aligned with the heart of Christ and glorifying God, will be like precious metals, gold and silver, the good things that we will be rewarded for.
• It is important to note that this has nothing to do with your salvation, as the scripture says that he himself will be saved, as yet through fire.
• In other words, there will be people in heaven who will have made it to heaven, but without any rewards. Others will be greatly rewarded.
• I think this is incredibly significant and so important to remember. We so easily forget, because we keep working on this earth for the things we can see, the rewards we see in this life.
• We work for bigger houses, better cars, better clothing, bigger retirement funds. Although we do need these things, we should seek first the kingdom.
• These things, when we get to eternity, will be burned up with fire. It will have no significance in eternity. Yet this is what most people spend most of their time and energy on.
• Whereas if we can set our focus on eternity, God has granted us the gift of the time we have on earth to do the works of God and then to be rewarded with that for eternity. That has incredible significance.
• The amazing thing is that most of the things that we will be rewarded for costs us nothing or very little of monetary value in this life in perspective of eternity.
• Yes, what we sow financially in the Kingdom we will be rewarded for in eternity because it shows our heart and that money is not our God. But it is so much more than that.
• With this perspective, for example, we see that to impact eternity hate cannot fight hate, but love overcomes hate.
• We see that God honors the selfless living things. Helping those who cannot help themselves. Giving a hug to those who need comfort. Praying for those who go through trouble. Serving the greater cause even though it might look like your part in it is insignificant.

Illus – What really impacted me when I came for my interview, was the heart of this church…

    C. Be controlled by love

• Although we will be rewarded for what we do on earth, the reason we do these things should stay clear.
• Verse 14 – For the love of Christ controls us…
• This is the key. It is because of the love of Christ, the love He has for us, the sacrificial offering that we did not deserve, that we do the things we do.
• His heart becomes our heart. He asks us to pay forward that which He did for us. As He loved us, we should love. As He served us, so we should serve, directed by His Spirit.
• Our prayer should be, ‘Jesus, let your heart be my heart.’
• He then even works in us, nudges us through His Spirit to know what to do.

Philippians 2:13-14,  for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

• God’s Spirit nudges us. Sometimes the flesh doesn’t want to, but God is giving us an opportunity to impact eternity, and even be rewarded for it.

Illus – Let’s say you want to do an oil change on your car. Instead of just doing it yourself, you tell your teenage son that, if he helps you, you will give him $20. You can do it by yourself much faster, but you are actually using this situation to teach him a valuable skill, and even rewarding him for learning something. If the teen is wise, he will see this, and be thankful for the opportunity although it will take effort and energy from him. This will be much less satisfying and effective if the teen keeps grumbling while doing it and then also expecting pay afterwards.

• God does the same with us. He can do everything without us, but He loves it when we are co-workers with Him, growing us, maturing us, and using us for His glory. On top of that, you will one day even be rewarded for it with rewards that do not run out.
• This is where we need to die to the self when the flesh doesn’t want to do it.
• This is how we walk out our faith. It is not an abstract airy-fairy concept. It is practically living the Jesus life, with our eyes and our focus and our purpose set on eternity. Knowing that everything we do to or for other people eventually has an impact on our and their eternity.
• If we can keep this in focus, it can change how we live and everything we do. If we can, in the middle of the confrontation, in the middle of the temptation, in the middle of the decision, step back for a moment and ask, how does this impact my and their eternity, it can become a litmus test for many of the decisions we make and the actions we do.
• Let’s make that our prayer. God, I want to walk into eternity with you, with my hearts, ambition and purpose set on eternity in everything I do.