Tents

 This life has a lot of beautiful, satisfying, breathtaking moments. Think about moments in nature, in God's creation - standing on the top of a mountain and seeing for miles, or looking out over the expanse of the ocean listening to the crash of the waves, or the absolute silence of being out in some remote forest in the snow. There are also those amazing life changing events like your wedding day, or the birth of a child or grandchild. This life can be beautiful!

- But, there are also all kinds of things that just make 'living' downright difficult, to say the least. Car accidents, falls, broken bones, colds and the flu, aches pains and various diseases, heartbreak, disappointment, loss of a job, broken relationships... How many people do we know who are dealing with much larger health issues, chronic health issues - even some conditions that may be manageable but aren't really curable...?

Sadly, it's just part of life. The rain falls on the just and the unjust and the sun rises on both the good and the evil. All throughout history, just living has been pretty hard.

And here's something you might not think about, something that sounds counter intuitive, but - our problems can sometimes even feel more difficult once we become a Christian. In addition to the frustration of putting up with this world, Christians have to live knowing that God has something better in store - but we have to patiently wait for it. And that can be difficult when life throws us its curve balls. The unvarnished reality is…

I. This world is hard

It's not like it's a secret to most of you. And I'm not trying to be negative, but just because you follow Jesus - that doesn't mean that everything is suddenly easy. The Apostle Paul acknowledged and clearly understood that frustration. I want to look at a passage from 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. Keep your thumb there as I'll be starting and stopping along the way, but I want to start with the first 4 verses...

2 Corinthians 5:1-4 (NIV)

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. (2) Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, (3) because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. (4) "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."

Paul starts by admitting that this life is hard. For the believer - our physical life here is like living in a tent - knowing that we have a solid, well built mansion waiting for us.

Have you ever slept in a tent? If you have, you know it may protect you from some of the elements - but compared to a house, you're still pretty vulnerable and exposed. If you're camping and you hear a wild animal growling just outside your tent flap - you keenly understand just how little security a tent actually provides. A tent is only a temporary shelter. And these 'tents' of ours have definitely seen some wear and tear.

But Paul is explaining, it's not that we just want 'this' to be all over - as if we have no hope. But for one who understands the promise of Heaven, we can struggle despite knowing that this life is not all there is! And there's this tension in living here and knowing that....

A. This isn't 'life'

Our life on this earth is a part of life - but 'just this' isn't the life for which we were created! I'm not implying that this isn't real - of course it's real, with very real joys and good times and real struggles and difficulties. But our 'mortal existence' in this life is only a shadow of what God has in store for us. "In the flesh", in our mortal bodies, we only have a small clue as to what 'real life' is really about.

I've compared our transition from this life to the next like waking up from a dream. You know how a dream can feel so real, but then you wake up and it kinda fades away? I don't think 'this' experience will just fade away - this is very much a part of who we are. But in comparison to what is in store - this life won't feel like true reality.

Let's continue in our Bible passage...

2 Corinthians 5:5-9 (NIV)

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. (6) Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. (7) We live by faith, not by sight. (8) We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (9) So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

This life, this existence has not happened by accident. God has placed each of us here for a reason - for His higher purposes. And He doesn't intend for us to spend eternity with the 'frustration of the flesh' - He has a much better plan! And He has given us His Holy Spirit in us as a guarantee that He has not abandoned us to this world!

There is no frustration in this life, no condition or disease, no stroke, seizure, heart attack, cancer or even death that can stop His renewal of us as His creation!

- I am so thankful for the many, many nurses and Dr.s who have provided hundreds of thousands of dollars of care and treatments for my son Benji over the past 3 years. And we still have a long way to go and I am so ready to be done with it all - but I know that God has guaranteed, one day 'this' will all be a distant memory!

Since we know for certain that God has made an eternal provision for us, something that makes it easier to live with the current frustration is reclaiming...

B. An eternal perspective

We can know that God is in control, and ultimately all of our needs will be met. In the meantime, we can commit ourselves to live out our lives in a way that will be pleasing to Him. While we live out these lives in our 'tents' - we want to be mindful of what we've done with what we've been given. It's a matter of stewardship. And Paul sums up this passage we've looked at with 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)...

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.

We need to understand that there will be an accounting of our lives. We do not earn salvation by our good deeds, and Jesus has already paid the price for our sins - but we are responsible for how we live life here. The way we live will stand as a testimony as to whether we are living under the Lordship of Jesus or whether we're living apart from the rule of Christ in our lives.

Accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord is more than just giving mental consent - it's actively living out our lives in a way that demonstrates in whom we have placed our trust. And in doing so we always keep in mind, that we were not made, just...

II. For this world

God Himself has placed within us a potential that cannot find fulfillment in this 'fallen' world. As a believer, you will never be truly satisfied in this life! We were created for eternity! To settle for this life alone is like setting up a tent at night and then never going outside to actually see nature's wonders around you.

But the difficult truth is - the more committed you are to Jesus, the more frustrated you may become with the limitations of this world and this life. Because you are constantly aware that there is something…

A. Much better waiting for you

That's this tension of living for Jesus and yet longing to be home. That's why Paul says, let's look at it again in 2 Corinthians 5:4-6 (NIV)...

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. (5) 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. (6) Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

We know that we can't love this life too much, because we're away from God's presence, from our real life with Him. And we don't want to just give up and die as we long for the best part of our life to begin - a life 'face to face' with Jesus. But do we spend so much time managing this life, figuring out how to 'get through' here just like everyone else that we get consumed with things and struggles that are only temporary..?

I'm concerned that at times, even some Churches might have a tendency to encourage people to be "too" at home in this world as well. And even many of our prayer concerns can tend to only focus on solving physical, temporary problems. And I'm not suggesting those things aren't important - but is it God's goal that we focus only on health, wealth, happiness and success - as the world defines those things...?

Some tend to think that we've fulfilled God's potential within us - that we've been obedient to His desires as long as we have a Church building, hire a preacher and hold services on a Sunday morning. Too many see "the Church" only as a Sunday morning gathering time. Do we baptize people just to fill another spot in a pew?

The Church was placed in this world as the body of Christ to carry out the work of Christ; to Go out, to reach the lost and bring them into the presence of God! Do you think the only reason that Jesus came to earth to establish His church was just so that we could conduct Sunday morning services?

…God doesn't simply 'take us home' the moment we get out of the baptistery because He wants us here for a reason. And while we are here...

B. We have a mission!

While we are in these 'tents' we have a mission - there's work to do! And I'm glad that there are so many here who understand that mission! There are many who consistently take their faith outside these walls! It's the calling for all of us. Let's look again one last time to those final verses…

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NIV)

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. (10) 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.

We are called to please Him while we are here - but it's not just about being a 'good person'. There are plenty of people in this world who can sit around being good. The mission we have is an active one. God doesn't expect us just to gather here, tell each other how much we love Jesus, and say the appropriate Church things inside these walls.

We are each called to actively show the love of Jesus to the lost of the world so that they too may claim the salvation that we have in Jesus - and only in Jesus!.

God has given each of us a job, a ministry. And God has placed His Spirit within us to help us accomplish His goals. And - not only did He give us the power, but He also gave us direction. This mission we have is an active one, but just being active doesn't accomplish the mission. Activity for activity's sake is just tiring. This mission has a God given direction.

For many people, the Church is fulfilling its purpose if it merely "exists" and stores up converts to their particular doctrinal or traditional beliefs. For others, raising money, adding more programs and staff would say to them that a Church is successful in their eyes. But our goal is to be successful in God's eyes – to please Him! If we are truly fulfilling His purpose in us, and reaching out to the lost of our world - then all those other things will fall into place. Without God's purpose at the forefront - just because a congregation swells in numbers doesn't necessarily mean it's making disciples of Jesus...

God's purpose for HIS Church may be bigger than ours! God's purpose for the Church is not just a temporary house in which to meet in this world. God's purpose demands that the Church - US - He demands that we be involved in really showing the love of Jesus to as many people as we possibly can to draw them to Him!

Do I focus so much on dealing with 'life in a tent' that I almost forget that there will be life away from the tent? God's purpose for you is significant. As long as there are those in your world who are outside of Christ, you have a mission. It's a mission far greater than just "going to Church" - God's challenge is for you, as we've said often, is to "be the Church".

So What?

It's somewhat easy to look up to God, to raise our eyes to Heaven in praise here in this building - it's harder to keep our eyes raised in the world dealing with its frustrations and opposition to God's Authority.

What are you doing with the fantastic potential that God has placed within your life? Have you used it primarily to secure yourself in this world so that you can simply one day retire in comfort? And there's nothing wrong with retirement, I'm saving and hoping to get there, too, someday. But there are millions upon millions of people in this world who have done just that, only to reach retirement unfulfilled.

If your main focus is simply to work hard and save enough money to then focus only on what you want to do as you wind down the clock on this life - you've missed the greater purpose of why God placed you here! Some of the finest years of service for some come in retirement - when you've lived enough and you're wise enough to very clearly understand your years in a 'tent' don't last forever.

If you look at old age as an end of all things, you will find it depressing. However, if you look at it as a challenge to fit in as much serving and loving and sharing as you can before you're called home - you probably have learned God's purpose for your life. God's vision for His Church, for His people, is that each day would bring us closer to the fulfillment of the eternal potential that He has placed within us!

Are we going to just focus on the problems of 'living in this tent', or are we going to look far beyond to the promise of Heaven?