Back in 2 Corinthians chapter
5, this chapter is just a continuation
of the same subject at the closing of chapter 4. That's why we included
it a moment ago in the reading. Two things here that the Apostle
Paul, under the divine inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, sets before
us. seeing Him, Paul says, who is
invisible, looking to Christ by the eyes of faith, keeping
our eyes upon our Redeemer. And then the second thing, seeing
the glory that's bound to follow. Bound to follow when this brief
time, when this vapor of a life, this blade of grass is withered,
looking beyond that, to the glory that we shall have with Him forever. Our confident hope of eternal
life, Paul speaks of here, a blessed life with Christ hereafter, makes
us look less on these temporal vanishing things, these troubles,
and encourages us to seek those things which are above. Above. Why? That's where Christ is. That's where Christ is. What's
heaven? It's where Christ is. That's
all I need to know. Because without Christ, it wouldn't
be heaven. It wouldn't be glorious. It would
be the very opposite. And as I pointed out in the reading,
notice the assurance. And I like this. The assurance
that the Apostle Paul speaks with. There's no if in his words. No hesitation. No doubt, the
apostles spoke what they believed. They knew what they believed.
They knew why they believed it. Notice in verse 6, Paul says,
we're always confident. We're always confident. And then
in verse 8, he repeats it. We are confident. How can that
be? Did Paul reach some spiritual
plateau that we haven't arrived at yet? Was he some super spiritual
man, a believer? No. He was just like you. Same
thing in you that was in the Apostle Paul. No difference. All flesh is Christ. That includes
the Apostle Paul. But this competence couldn't
rest in anything or anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now resting there, the Lord of
glory, Paul had all reason for his confidence. After all, who
but the Lord God himself could do those things that Paul speaks
of here? Who could raise us to everlasting
life? Who could keep us other than
the Lord Jesus Christ? One of the characteristics of
a true child of God that Paul mentions in Philippians 3, he
mentions three things. The last thing he says that characterizes
a believer is this, we have no confidence in the flesh. We have
no confidence in the flesh, and it's for good reason. Can the
flesh do anything to give us peace with God? Can any works
of man, anything we do on our own, make me just with God? Can the labor of my hands fulfill
God's laws demands? Can all my works, all my doings,
all my effort put away my sin? No. No. Only God can do that. Who but
our great God and Savior can is able to keep you from falling. Now think about that. Keep you
from falling. Man, that's not a small task. That requires a mighty God and
Savior. Nothing less will do. Keep you
from falling and to present you faultless. Now think about that
too. Present you faultless. You. You faultless, Billy Cobb,
you faultless? Yes, he can. He's able to keep
you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding glory. So it's no wonder then that we
sing, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name. To
the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion,
and power, both now and forever. Amen. So with such a firm foundation
as this, Paul had every reason to be confident. It's not presumption
to believe God. It's not. Now, I know that we
live in a world where there's a lot of self-professing, smart
people, educated people that tells us that these things just
can't be so. We are not the product of God's
doing. We are not the creation of God,
but came into being by a process of millions and millions of years
of evolution. These are smart people that tell
us this. And that as a result of a big bang in space, lo, the
heavens and the earth just magically appeared. Abracadabra! And there it is. How about that? You go out tonight, and if it's
a cloudless sky, and you look up and see all those glorious
stars, and think, my son, they just happened. And they tell
us anybody with good sense believes that. Well, a child of God doesn't. Now, all those same intelligent
people, all those folks of higher learning also tells us, matter
of factly, we hear this every day, that this world will soon
come to an end because of global warming. That's the reason. You
better get out while you can. Well, where am I going to go? If that's true, where am
I going to hide? No, that sure doesn't give anyone
hope at all, does it? Oh, but this does. Look what
Paul says in verse 1 again of chapter 5. We know. Oh, thank
God we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle, this
tent, when it's laid aside, we have a building. That's not the
end. We have a building of God, a
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. We know, Paul
says. That's the same words we find
in Romans chapter 8, verse 28. And we know. that all things work together
for good to them that love God, that them who are thee called
according to His purpose. The same sweet note in 1 John
5, verse 13. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the
name of the Son of God. Verse 19, And we know that we
are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know
that the Son of God is coming, and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know Him. There's the foundation. That's
what I want to fall down on. That's my hope. Lord Jesus Christ
that I may know him that is true and we are in him that is true
even in his son Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternal
life now we've all heard this expression this phrase and it's
usually it's usually uttered by religious people and they
think it makes them sound spiritual God said it and I believe it,
and that settles it." You've heard that, haven't you? Wrong. Dead wrong. No, God said it,
and that settles it, whether anybody believes it or not. The
fact that God said it, makes it so. In the beginning, God
said, let there be light, and the literal translation was,
light is. Light is. Our faith doesn't make
God's Word effectual. God's Word is the basis of our
faith. Faith cometh by hearing, Paul
wrote, and hearing by the Word of God. I love what we read in
Romans chapter 4 concerning our father Abraham. We read this,
verse 20 and 21, concerning the promise that his wife, his 90-year-old
wife, would have a son. What was Abraham, 100 or so?
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, verse
20, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being
fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also
to perform. This is what Gabriel told Mary
when he came to her with the announcement that she should
have a son. Called his name Jesus. He shall be great. He shall rule
over the house of Israel forever and ever, and of his kingdom
there shall be no end. Married with God, the angel said,
nothing, nothing shall be impossible. What we just read in Romans 4
concerning Abraham sounds much like what Paul said concerning
himself. You know this verse very well.
For the which cause I suffer these things, nevertheless I
am not ashamed, for I know whom. Oh, what a comfort that must
have been to the aged apostle. Soon facing the executioner's
eyes, as he sat deserted by friends, alone in that cold dungeon cell,
what a comfort it must have been for him to say, I know whom I
have believed. Paul wasn't looking at what he
had done, what he had experienced, even being caught up to third
heaven. He doesn't make one mention of those things. He said, I know
whom. Oh, how that must have warmed
his heart. I have believed and I am persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him
against that day. God's Word can never be made
void, useless, or ineffectual. Not God's Word. Who could do that? I just heard
Bobby say, he whispered, nobody. That's exactly right. That's
exactly right. Nobody. They would have to be,
in order to do that, they would have to be greater than God to
defeat His purpose, His word. Listen to what he said in Isaiah
55. For as the rain cometh down in the snow from heaven and returneth
not hither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth
in bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the
eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth.
It shall not return unto me void, O my soul, but it shall accomplish,
It shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper
in the thing whereunto I send it." Exactly what I intended
in sending it forth, that's exactly what it shall accomplish. Hear
this, child of God. Your circumstances, regardless
of whether they are good or bad to you, whether they seem contrary
or conducive to your walk through this world, they can never alter
this. Remember when these words that
I'm about to read to you, so familiar from John 14, but remember
the context in which they were spoken. Our Lord Jesus, this
was the night, just hours before he was betrayed by Judas, just
before he went to the garden. He told his disciples, you'll
all forsake me this night. You'll all leave me alone. And
Peter said, not me. Not me. No way. No way. You're
mistaken. I'm willing to die with you.
And he said, Peter, before the cock crows twice, you're going
to deny that you even know me three times. Let not your heart
be troubled. Ignore the chapter break right
there. It was in that context, immediately when he said that
Peter would deny him, he said, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe in
me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you, that where I am there you may be also. There are no unoccupied mansions
in heaven. There won't be. There won't be
any absentees. All Christ will redeem will be
with Him in glory. They'll all be present and accounted
for. I remember years ago, and I didn't
have better sense, being in services where people thought coming to
Christ was something you did with your feet. And the preacher
was begging somebody to move their feet. Would you just come
up here? Would you just come up here? And they would use sad,
sad stories to try to get somebody to do something for Jesus. Or,
you know, there's going to be an empty mansion in heaven. There's
a mansion up there for you, but it's going to be empty if you
don't open your heart. There's going to be harps up
there with cobwebs on them because you won't be there to play it.
And they thought that was honoring to God? Oh, my soul. I like what the Lord Jesus Christ
himself said. This sounds so much better. Father,
I will also that those whom you have given me be with me where
I am, that they may behold my glory. There's no doubt about
that. There's no question about that.
If everyone for whom Jesus Christ died is not with him in glory,
then he must have failed. He must have failed. That cannot
be. They must be with Him where He
is because He's redeemed them. He's redeemed them with His own
precious blood. They've already been bought and
paid for. Listen to this, Isaiah 43 verse
1, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and
he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, fear not, for I have
redeemed thee. Don't be afraid. No matter what
you go through, don't be afraid. It won't change this. I have
redeemed thee. I've called you by your name. You're mine. You're mine. Robin had the TV on this morning
watching a little bit of the service live streamed from Danville,
Grace Baptist Church. And they sang as a congregational
hymn, I am his and he is mine. I'm His, and He is mine forever. Nothing can change that. Oh,
the basis for the command of the great shepherd of the sheep,
for saying, fear not, is this, I have redeemed them. Redemption
always, in every instant, always presented in Scripture as something
accomplished. Doesn't it, Billy? Something
complete. Something finished. It's never
spoken of as something attempted. Something contingent upon anything
else besides itself for its success. The Son of God told His disciples,
even as the Son of Man came, not to be ministered to, but
to minister and to give His life a ransom for many. Was that ransom
offered for many for just a perchance? A maybe? A hope so? Oh no! Because Christ gave His life
a ransom for many, the Holy God makes this eternal proclamation. Deliver His soul from going down
to the pit. I found a ransom. Jesus Christ offered himself
without spot to God. The ransom was paid to God. And God said, I found this ransom. I accept this ransom. Deliver
the soul of all those for whom he shed his blood from going
down to the pit. The ransom paid and accepted
means redemption is obtained. Obtained. Past tense. When He bowed His head upon the
cross and said, It is finished, redemption was obtained. Sins were put away. Righteousness
was brought in. Justice was satisfied. It's finished. Glory to His name. Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. Those already in heaven are there
because they were redeemed. But they are no more redeemed
than believers yet on earth. Because both those in glory now
and those yet here below are redeemed with the same precious
blood of Jesus Christ. The same precious blood. Revelation
chapter 14 verse 3. And they sung as it were a new
song before the throne, and before the four beasts and the elders.
And no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty and
four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." Verse 4, "'These
are they which are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which follow the
Lamb whithersoever He goes. These were redeemed from among
men.'" O my soul, redeemed, how I love to proclaim thee, being
the firstfruits unto God and unto the land. Listen to the
prophet Isaiah, and the ransom of the Lord shall return, and
come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy shall be upon
their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. O thank God there
is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins and
sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all, they lose all
their guilty stains. Whether in this life we're enduring
peace or trouble, we're always redeemed. Whether in health or
in sickness, always redeemed. Whether in joy or in sorrow,
but always redeemed. In life or in death, but always
redeemed. In time and in eternity, always
redeemed. Eternal redemption. Now that's
the sure foundation we rest on, we fall down on, and we trust
in. No wonder Paul said, we are confident. And now with that foundation,
look again if you will here in 2 Corinthians 5 at verse 8. Let's read it together again.
Paul says, we are confident, we are confident. I say in willing
rather, content, rather to be absent from the body and to be
present with the Lord. Absent from the body, present
with the Lord. Absent below and present above. These two blessed truths from
the word of God, both are full of comfort for the saints of
God. And I pray God will make them so for us. Absent from the
body, Absent from the body. It's only the body which sleeps
in the grave. The soul never sleeps. Jehovah
Witnesses teach a theory of soul sleep. That when a sinner saint
dies, their soul sleeps in the grave with their body. What utter
nonsense. At death the soul enters into
a state which cannot be known in this world. There is no such
thing as soul sleep. Immediately. Isn't that what
we read? Immediately upon death, the soul enters into a state
in an intermittent body, waiting for the resurrection of the body,
in which it lives between death and the resurrection. Paul says,
we know. We know when we leave this world, when this tabernacle,
this tent is taken down, we've got a building. A building, a
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Paul said in
verse 2 and in verse 4, we groan for this. We groan for this. We long for this. Oh, what a
struggle. What a struggle between the flesh
and the spirit. This poor old tent, this body,
this flesh is just wearing out. It's just wearing out. Do what
you can. Dress it up as much as you like.
It's just wearing out. And the older it gets, the more
trouble it takes to patch it up and to keep it in repair.
And in the course of years, it has become worn out. And with
the wear and tear of many years, it becomes more and more evident
that it's not a worthy dwelling place for a child of the king.
We groan for that better place. that better dwelling place. The
spirit's been willing, but the flesh has been weak. We've been
plagued with weariness and pain and care and bodily appetite
when we desire to mount up all together and be engrossed with
heavenly things, but as Paul, we cry out, oh, wretched man
that I am, I can't do it. Can't do what I would. Oh, remember
a song years ago. This old house. You remember
that? This old house. The wise man
spoke of that, didn't he? Someone said we are a believer,
it's like the young chick, yet within the eggshell. There's
been a hump for us for a while, but it's becoming too tight for
us now. We begin like the chick, the
chip at it, and sometimes wish it would all together break,
that we might enjoy full liberty. that we might go to glory. We
that are in this body do groan, Paul said, being burdened. And
groan we shall to the day of our full redemption and the deliverance
of the body from the bondage of corruption. Paul knows nothing. Read chapter 7, Romans 7, verses
18 through 25. And Paul knows nothing about
reaching a state of sinless perfection in this life. no such thing. Listen to his mournful confession,
and every truly new soul knows this is so. This is their cry
too, O wretched man that I am, O who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? It's like a corpse strapped on
our back, and we can't get rid of it. But Paul answered his
question when he said, I thank God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we are absent from this
body, Child of God, we will be absent from everything this body
is bound to and subject to. In this body, we suffer. We're
sick. We feel all manner of pain, physical
pain, mental pain, emotional pain. But the moment we're absent
from this body, we'll be absent from all those things. Imagine
that. Imagine that. We shall be changed. Oh, what a glorious change. I
can sum up all those things by reminding us of this, that when
a believer is free from this body of death, he'll be free
from sin. Free from sin. Pain, death, sorrow
are the products of sin. Oh, but we enter glory, no more
sin. All sin and all the consequences
of sin will be gone forever. There will never again be any
more death, sorrow, crying. Neither shall there be any more
pain, for the former things are passed away. Indeed, there remains
a rest for the people of God. Soon, each of us, for each believer,
God's appointed time. That's what you told me this
morning, Bill. God's appointed my time. My times are in His
hands for going home. In the world you'll have tribulation,
but not when we enter that heavenly home. No more. Even here below. It should be, and usually is,
for most of us, I hope all of us, Home is the place where one
feels secure. Our house, as they say, is our
castle. In this world, our Lord said, you'll have tribulation.
In this world, we have to battle. In this world, we hear things
ungodly, like Job. We're vexed with the filthy conversation
daily, daily, hour after hour. But oh, it's a blessed thing
when even here below, you can enter into your home, shut the
door, and now you're at ease. At ease. Love appreciated under
your own roof. What a joy when we're taken home
to be present with the Lord. Oh, my. Welcome, sweet hour of
full discharge that sets my longing soul at large. unbinds my chains
and breaks my sail, and lets me with my God to dwell." Here's
the second thing Paul speaks of, the last thing. Yes, absent
below, but he says that's not all. Present above. Present above with the Lord. With the Lord. And speaking of
a believer's death, the Word of God always represents it as
an immediate entrance into heavenly blessedness. No purgatory. No halfway house. The believer,
really at death, begins to live. Martha, Martha, our Lord said
at the tomb of her dead brother, whoever lives, whoever liveth
and believeth in me, he'll never die. He'll never die. As soon as our souls are freed
from the body of sin and death, we enter heaven. That's the doctrine. That's the truth. That's the
teaching of God's Word. Isaiah chapter 57, verses 1 and
2. The righteous perisheth, and
no man layeth it to heart. And merciful men are taken away,
none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to
come. He shall enter into peace. They
shall rest in their beds. each one walking in his own uprightness. As soon as the believer dies,
he is carried by the angels of God into heaven, into heaven,
the place of endless comfort. At death, every saved sinner
is taken to be with Christ in paradise, in heaven, the garden
of God. It's that place of assured blessedness,
promised to sinners, who've experienced God's mercy and grace in Christ. I love what our Lord said to
that dying thief, didn't he? That dying thief. That thief
looked over and said, Lord, remember me. Remember me. And our Lord
said, today. Today. Oh, think about that child
of God. Perhaps today. Perhaps today. Today, immediately, shalt thou,
assuredly, be with me in my endless company, with me in paradise,
heavenly glory." Our text says, present with the Lord. Death
for the believer is infinite, immeasurable, immediate gain.
Believers, upon leaving this world, lose nothing except their
sin and their sorrow, and gain everything good and glorious.
Oh, they lose all their sin and all their sorrow, and they say,
good riddance. Good riddance. Paul in Philippians
1 said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I'm in a
strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ,
which is far better. What is the state of saints now
in glory? We can't say more than what the
Word of God is pleased to tell us, but we're assured that God's
saints are not floating around in some sort of mystical state
of sleep. No, they have gone to a Pacific
place called Heaven, the Father's house. That's where Christ is. They are now assembled as a glorified
church, and their souls exist in a recognizable form. Do God's
saints have a body between death and the resurrection? Yes, not
a physical body, a spiritual body, a heavenly form, a house
for their souls. That's what Paul tells us in
these verses. Every believer, as soon as he leaves his body
of flesh, enters into heaven to be with Christ, present with
the Lord. It is this assurance that makes
death better. The Apostle said, a better thing
for every child of God, present with the Lord. We recently experienced
again the departure of a dear, dear friend, sister. Did you? When you glanced over
where she sat, did you feel the loss of her presence? Oh, how
we miss her. It is not the same. It's not
the same. Oh, but remember, those that
are absent from us are present with Him. I found these lines
as I was preparing this message. It says, our family chain is
broken and nothing seems the same. But as God calls us one
by one, the chain will link again. And we're all gathered around
the throne of God. Look at verse 18 of chapter 4.
We'll come to a close. While we look not at the things
which are unseen, but the things which are not seen. For the things
which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not
seen are eternal." If we could draw back the curtain, if we
could just have a glimpse, if we could just look into that
heavenly place where God's saints are forever with the Lord, when
faith shall be exchanged for the clearest light, Oh, here
we gaze through a telescope of faith, try to, to those heavenly
things, but it's always through a glass darkly. It's always though
it's a dirty window, trying to look through. Oh, but when we
drop this robe of flesh, and shall actually come into sight,
when faith gives way to sight, and we shall behold the Savior
as He is, how? Face to face. Face to face. Only faintly now I see, with
the darkening veil between. Oh, but a blessed day is coming
when His glory shall be seen. Face to face with Christ my Savior.
Face to face to see and know. Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, who loved me so. May God give us grace to honor
Him by being confident that this is so, a confidence that rests
on an unchanging God who is able to perform all that he's promised. God never undertakes a work that
he doesn't finish. He never lacks the power, the
wisdom to do so. He that's begun a good work in
you will perform it into the day of Jesus Christ. He intends
to work upon me, for he has worked me into the perfect image of
his Son. That's what we read in Romans
8 verse 29. I and the children you gave me,
I lost none." One hymn writer expressed it like this, By God's
sovereign grace united to his Son eternally, I can never be
divided from my covenant surety. God's free love from everlasting
made me one with his dear Son. Blessed union, strong and unchanging,
I am with my Savior one. Once in Christ, in Christ forever,
Thus his promise ever stands. Life and death and hell together
cannot tear me from his hands. One with Jesus, one with Jesus,
by eternal union one. One with Jesus, one with Jesus,
all the wonders grace has done. One with Christ from everlasting,
one with him upon the tree, one with him on high ascending, one
with him eternally, eternally. God bless you. I pray that he'll
make the message a means of blessing to your heart. Amen.