Funeral

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

1 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.2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.4 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.5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.10 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.

 

Every person in every nation and culture on earth has to answer this question: What happens after a person dies? Basically, the answers to this question fall into three possible categories.

First, some people say, "Nothing happens." There is a widespread belief that death is the end of any kind of conscious existence. Atheists usually embrace this position claiming that this life is all there is, and when you die there is utter and absolute nothingness.

Second, there is a position that basically says, "anything could happen."

But there is a third answer, and it come from the Bible. The Bible teaches there are only two eternal destinations, heaven or hell. Someone had engraved these words on a relative's headstone at Greta near Maitland: "Pause now as you pass by, as you are now, so once was I; as I am now, you soon shall be; So therefore prepare to follow me." That was pretty good, but someone added these words to the headstone: "To follow You I'm not content, until I know which way you went!"

In order to understand this truth about life after death let's notice:

1. THE TEMPORARY TENT: MY PHYSICAL BODY

Tenting is a temporary situation

Tenting is a Tormenting situation

Given a choice between sleeping in a sleeping bag on the hard ground or staying in a hotel, most would choose the hotel. If you've ever been camping, the first night is pretty exciting. But then there's the mosquitoes, the dampness, the heat, the sound of the other campers snoring. We just can't find true comfort while we live in this tent. That's why Paul wrote that "while in this tent we groan."

These tents get old, and the canvas gets thin and torn. The ropes get frayed, and the tent pegs start pulling out. That's just the fact of getting old. I'm 63, have any of you my age or older started seeing all the changes around us? They've started building staircases steeper than they used to- and the steps are farther apart. And newspapers and magazines (and Bibles) have started using smaller and smaller type. My arms aren't long enough to read the paper anymore!

And people are talking softer and softer than they used to because I can't hear what they're saying all the time—they mumble a lot! And shoes—have you noticed they've started making shoelaces so short that it's harder and harder to bend down to tie them? And it takes so much effort to bend over to tie your shoes that when you're down there you look around to see if there's anything you can do as long as you're there.

2. THE PERMANENT BUILDING: MY GLORIFIED BODY

Paul contrasts the tent of our physical bodies to the permanence of our glorified, heavenly

bodies. In verse 1 he wrote, "We have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."

3. MOVING DAY: DEATH MEANS LEAVING MY TENT TO BE WITH JESUS!

Paul knew exactly what happens after a Christian dies. He said it was simply moving from on  place to another—from one body to another. In verse 8 we read, "We are CONFIDENT, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

The moment a Christian dies, they immediately enter into the presence of Jesus.

One of the words that the New Testament uses to describe the death of a Christian is the word "departure." It was the same word used when a soldier would strike camp, take down his tent, and start his hike to his next location. Paul was referring to his impending death when he wrote to Timothy, "the time has come for my departure." (2 Timothy 4:6) Paul faced death constantly, and he wasn't afraid because he realized it would simply be a departure from this world to the next, from his earthly tent to his heavenly home. He wrote, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me...I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;" (Philippians 1:21- 23). He was wanting to go but he was willing to stay. How about you, is that your attitude toward death, or are you just the opposite? Are you willing to go, but wanting to stay? When you understand the glories of heaven, you'll be looking forward to your moving day. Pease. When he was buried he had these words placed on his tombstone:

Under the sod and under the trees

Lies the body of Jonathan Pease.

He is not here, there's only the pod:

Pease shelled out and went to God.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26)

Where will you be five seconds after you die?

I believe there are only three possible honest answers to this question.

(1) There is a CONFIDENT response: "I will be with Jesus in heaven."

That's how Paul would have answered. I would use those same seven simple words to answer it. Now if you ask some preachers they would give you a much more lengthy reply, but they would still be saying that same thing.

Notice the words of confidence in this passage. In verse one it says, "I KNOW..." It's not, "I hope" or "I wish" or "I dream" but "I KNOW that if this earthly tent I live in is destroyed, I have an eternal home in heaven!" In verse 6 Paul wrote, "we are always confident..." in verse 8 he wrote, "we are CONFIDENT I say." Because of great passages like this one, we can know that we know that we know that when we die, we'll be with Jesus in heaven. Can you, at this moment, honestly and confidently answer with those seven words? If you can't, then your honest answer will be one of the remaining two.

(2) There is a CONFUSED response: "I don't know."

Now, that's an honest answer because there are people who really DON'T know. The people in this category fall into two groups. One group may be real Christians who just don't have a sense of assurance of their salvation. You may be one who, when asked that question, responds by saying, "I don't know—I hope so. I think so." What you mean is you're really not sure, but you're hoping and wishing you'll make it to heaven

The Bible says, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement." (Hebrews 9:27)

There are only two eternal destinations, and you'll either die in Christ and go to heaven for eternity, or you'll die in your sins and go to a place of eternal separation from God in a place called hell. But God loves YOU so much he sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins, and if you'll believe in him, you'll never perish, instead you'll have eternal life."

(3) There is a CALLOUSED response: "I don't care."

Some people's hearts have become so hardened to the gospel they have allowed calluses to grow around their heart. They have no interest or desire to know God and to be in heaven. They don't simply reject the truth, they do worse than that—they ignore it. Their response is, "Big deal. I don't care." But that's not really an honest answer, because the time will come when they will care very much about where they will be five seconds after they die.

Death doesn't scare me, I just don't want to be there at the time. Woody Alan

The clock of life is wound but once, and no man knows the hour

Just when the clock of life will strike and late or early hour!