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Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 3 * PART 4 * BOOK 30
II CORINTHIANS 4:1-5:9 - PART 2
Now II Corinthians Chapter 5. II Corinthians 5:1a
"For we know that if our earthly house..."
Our earthly house is a tent, a temporary dwelling place of our earthly body... a temporary place for the real you and the real me. It is simply dwelling in this old earthly tabernacle. This earthly house, this earthly tabernacle is the body of flesh. II Corinthians 5:1
We should get excited about eternity. Even though Israel is more or less going to enjoy the ramification of the new earth, as God's earthly people, you and I as members of the Body of Christ are going to be heavenly. And I think that whatever new universe God is going to create, He will create one that will be literally garden plots for believers. I think that we will have responsibilities throughout all of God's new creation. My, what a prospect. Eternal, forever in the heavens. Now verse 2:
II Corinthians 5:2
"For in this we groan, (we just can't fully comprehend) earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house (or our dwelling place) which is from heaven: In other words the new body. Now again I've got to turn to the Book of Philippians because there's a verse there that answers all the questions, "Well what kind of a body are we going to have when we get to the eternal?"
Philippines 3:20,21
Remember at His Second Coming when we come with Him, He will be coming as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. the Lord Jesus Christ; Who shall change (it will be a metamorphous only on a grander scale than a butterfly. He shall change) our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
I always tell folks to study the 40 days after His resurrection if you want to get a glimpse of your new resurrected body. Now returning II Corinthians Chapter 5.
So don't think I don't enjoy life.
What a prospect. I want you to realize that if you can believe God's Word it's going to happen. Now verse 3:
II Corinthians 5:3-4
What's Paul driving at? We are not so much looking forward to losing this old body, and having the soul and spirit separated from it. Oh what a glorious prospect. You can tell those young people the same thing that you can tell the older folks. Now verse 5:
II Corinthians 5:5
who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." Now why did the Holy Spirit inspire the apostle Paul to talk about something like a down payment? Let's go to Ephesians Chapter 1 for the answer.
Ephesians 1:13,14
"In whom (speaking of Christ) ye also trusted, (placed your faith) after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: (as you find in I Corinthians 15:1-4. I thought our salvation was complete. Spiritually of the soul and spirit - Yes it's complete. We are redeemed, we are justified, we're sanctified, we're in the Body of Christ. At our salvation the Holy Spirit comes in as God's earnest or down payment) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
Now what's the purchased possession if it's not the soul and spirit. The body. Several years ago I had a pastor claim from our pulpit that, "God's not concerned about the physical body, but rather all He's concerned about is your soul.' We are body, soul, and spirit! I Thessalonians 5:23
The spirit, soul, and body is preserved for all eternity. We're talking about eternal things. So we're not going to be a viable entity in eternity until we get the body. The soul and spirit when it is totally redeemed, has experienced absolute salvation, so what is waiting to be consummated? The body. Now let's go to Romans Chapter 8. Romans 8:22,23
So even though the moment we're saved, the soul and spirit are totally redeemed, it's saved, it's made ready for eternity. But what about this old body? Now back to II Corinthians Chapter 5:
II Corinthians 5:6
Colossians 1:13
So we're already citizens of that kingdom, but for now the soul and spirit are The Lord's. The Holy Spirit is indwelling us to be that comforter. But the old body is still prone to death and sickness, and failure.
II Corinthians 5:7
Faith! And faith is taking God at His Word. If the Word declares it then we believe it and God reckons it for righteousness especially for salvation. Now in verse 8 Paul repeats.
II Corinthians 5:8
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
Now verse 9:
"Wherefore we labour,..."
Paul's life is not his own. II Corinthians 5:9
God leaves us here to further the work of the Gospel. Because you never know. Well think about it because eternity is long, eternity is forever." We can do this while we are yet in the body.

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