1066. A Tent and a Heavenly Home

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville South Carolina today on The Daily Platform were beginning a new study series from seminary chapel called ministry according to second Corinthians today speaker is seminary professor Dr. Sam Saldivar, the title of his message is a tent and a heavenly home from second Corinthians 51 through five for we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God house not made with hands, eternal in the habits for this tense. We grown longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on. We may be not found naked. For while we are in this tent, we grown 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.

He who has prepared us for this very thing is got, who has given us the spirit as a guarantee in the past six months.

I stared into the lifeless face of three loved ones on June 27. My father-in-law had gone into hospice care.

He had suffered with dementia for many years and that evening the hospice nurse came banging on the door the next morning informing us that my father-in-law had passed away at 87 all summer long I have been working on trying to redo the floors in my basement and I had planned for the last week of the summer to for Us Take Pl. in Florida celebrating life with my parents and I was coming to the conclusion of the project I was to preach at and my church. The two Sundays before and those messages ready and the Friday before we we left to go down to Florida. My father was taken into the emergency room after solid background with my dad. He was diagnosed with colon cancer many years ago and he overcame that he rang the bell's cancer free, and then a couple years later they they kept coughing and they found a lump in his long and so he had.

We were told he had stage IV metastatic lung cancer chance of survival 2% beyond a few months.

It just looked pretty grim. The Lord brought them out of that he was completely they were able to shrink his tumor. He went to draw the chemo again relatively mild side effects for both cancers that he survived and he had recently right after the pandemic hit gotten shingles and they were both on the outside and the inside mind as it was a very social man, very outgoing and happy life of the party and just being confined to his house was a bit discouraging the last time I talked to him he just kind of sounded sad and is very quiet and somber when I would converse with my dad. A lot of times you tell me know we be talking I just be listening in any way. Hello you still there.

This time the roles were reversed. My dad, are you still there, but I think it was everything was waiting on him not being able to be out. Apparently he saw he had slipped and fallen in the garage and he was having trouble even sitting comfortably so he thought he did something to his back. He had gone a couple weeks earlier to get it checked out and I just told him to, I said and everything would be okay. He was unable to see very well, so I dunno. That's what caused what happened but his body became septic, something bleeding within and then very quickly.

He was in critical condition and so they rushing to the hospital and they were able to the doctors. It is a miracle that he survived that first night. So we pray for my daddy start improving. We are able to do a video call with him. He was intubated he was.

His numbers were improving the. The infection was going down, and we were hopeful. They the took the tubes out for 12 hours one day and he breathed on his own and another day he he read on his own for seven hours they had done wound VAC doubling backs those were looking nice through healing well. Accelerating the the decisions that they had made in and for the removal of the infected skin and flesh that he had and they were.

We thought were about to release them from ICU and start physical therapy so we are very hopeful we are praying were rejoicing thing. My wife even said when she said it.

I was felt a little bit awkward but she was very hopeful she said I I can't wait. I'm envisioning Thanksgiving and being able to praise God for bringing your dad through this, but two weeks later on Sunday.

We started call in the morning. Come see dad because you know they're letting everybody seem now is numbers cry suddenly and he doesn't have much time left and obviously I'm in South Carolina and am thinking snack. Good Lord, please let me see him like that we see him before he departs. Speak to him and an hour and half later. Dad's gone on when you don't expect something.

It's I think it hurts a little bit more just so sudden, so I was blown away has a role like where that come from. We were looking good and now he's gone and so when I got to my mom's house that evening. It was an unreal scene at time one of 11 and my parents have 35 grandchildren, so it is a always a party when we get together so I show up and insists really, really sad when you read the Bible, weeping and wailing that's that's what it was when I went to my mother's bedroom. I had a moment of clarity, obviously, is to start you out but you can imagine 20 people sobbing and you're in the middle of that there are no words that you can give right it's it's almost silly to try to say anything to solve anything. There is no solution. So my moment of of clarity. Basically what the Lord really impressed on me was there is no hope for us in this room.

There's no hope for us in regions in Florida and the whole state in the US the US of a can do nothing to bring my dad back is no hope for us in this world. The only hope we have is in the resurrected Christ and that's where it should be in my dad's okay. He is alive. He's doing much better than he was. These past two weeks. He's never been in better health or condition. My mother-in-law continued her decline.

My mother-in-law was also a very social person, embarrassingly social and when they shut everything down because of COBIT. Her decline rapidly accelerated. We would come in to visit her at the facility and they let you talk to them from the door from the window. She could not see or hear us were speaking into a phone she's just confused. As a no.

What's going on. She didn't have words to speak her, her she had not only dementia but she had Alzheimer's which the first things that takes away from you is your speech the. The pain and irony of thing really social and loving talking to, I can think of the word. I say something that's not what I meant, so she passed away on December 13 and surprisingly a couple of weeks after my dad died I had seen my my sister's former husband was at the funeral, and he just looked frail he looked strange and a couple weeks after my dad died. He died.

He was 43 whenever you love someone that you really care about it kind of every successive death of your family love ones reminds you of the initial loss that you've experienced. We live in a world of suffering and death. It is estimated that about four and 23,000 people have died from COBIT in the United States. Up to this point.

2.15 million worldwide. I've never seen so many feeds regarding death and sickness on social media before I have many friends who have lost parents who have lost siblings very recently.

And so, as believers, how how do we engage effectively for Christ's sake in such a context. Second Corinthians 5, Paul gives us imagery.

One is of a tense and the other one and so the of a building, not just a house but a building and what is communicating to us is that by God's providential design.

This body in its sinful and fallen condition was never meant to last forever.

There, as Moses said, our days are 70 years and by reason of strength or 80. There's gonna be some associated pain and suffering that accompanies those extra bone bonus years that we get. My dad had a perspective you know after you turn 70 is a ball it's all bonus life from here on out I thing is is guaranteed.

So weird. Bonus stage but a tent attempt is there. There could be multiple things that Paul has in view here. He of course he was a tent maker and has this idea of transitory and elsewhere were traveling. We don't have a settled city that we call home. But as far as the tent itself. It's quickly set up and torn down its pretty thin. It's uncomfortable to sleep in these bodies don't hold up a tent can very easily be blown away. This tent is called earthly. It is meant for this temporary sin cursed world.

He says if this tent should be destroyed or torn down. That's acting out and if it is an F, but it's not like a notice in heaven. It's a wet right when you are tense is destroy this tent is destined for dust from the moment you were born, there is a sense of what your body starts dying while people here wearing glasses. Our vision goes. Flexibility goes strength goes skin moisture and flexibility goes hair quantity and color goes bone density. We are decaying.

God warned Adam and Eve that if they ate of the forbidden tree that they would surely die on the day you eat, you will die. Well things happen there, they died spiritually for sure, but Genesis 55 930 years or so later, we are told Adam died physically.

Ironically, I think death is a type of mercy for mankind the sense that when God cursed mankind. And when they were in their sinful state. God said I don't want to me to the tree of life.

In this condition. Eliza live forever. I would say like this, Romans 512, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin in this way death came to all people because all sinned. Please ESD's has been called a very pessimistic book because of its theme on death. Death dominates the planet ruthlessly and the preacher calls that have L and I would argue what he means is that this life is not meant to last. Doesn't matter if you're a man or an animal wise or foolish righteous or wicked, rich or poor. You are going to die. There's nothing you can do to prevent death. Your parents love them deeply. Speak to them often. Your parents are going to die your spouse if you're married is going to die you are going to die.

I am going to die.

There is nothing we can do to prevent death. This is the tent we live in when this tent is destroyed.

We grown in this tent. The groaning started in Genesis 353 16 with the curse on the woman in pain you will have children and women have been groaning through the whole process of pregnancy and delivery ever since God also says to the ground that it would be always a sad accursed is the ground for your sake, so the ground the whole creation started groaning at that point, yields thorns and thistles in God cursed man he said as you work the ground and try to get free from it you will be groaning. Romans eight reminds us of the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves groan inwardly as we wait, the older you get, the more literal. This will become. You'll wake up in the morning and ground right is just inevitable you feel the pain. The techs also says that we as we grown are burdened, we are weighed down. His word is used of the heavy eyes of the disciples when they couldn't stay awake to pray with Jesus in the garden that they were hired retired today. Are you burdened weighed down the longer you live on this planet. In a sense, the more you will feel it's gravity you will be more and more burden. Paul said he was so burdened that seem like he was beyond the ability to endure, and he despaired of life itself, and you will have moments in your life that feel that way that seems like you can't go on living, but this text is also full of hope, because when this tent that we live in is dismantled. We have a building from God that he doesn't use the normal word for a house here because he's going to use or got a mate which is used normally if you look at all the New Testament the use of the subject and the use in the New Testament.

This is often used to describe a structure like the temple that Solomon would build or the buildings that Herod constructed in at the 24 one. His disciples, looking at all the impressive buildings. That's his word. In other words what's coming is much greater than great contrast to a tent structure provides shelter, insulation, warmth to in times of great storms people flood to these kinds of buildings for protection. It is built to last, is built to house multiple families this heavenly home is the opposite of earthly.

It is first Corinthians 15 verse 40 there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, the glory of the heavenly is one kind, the glory of the earthly is another like the glory of the son and the glory of the moon, so it is with the resurrection of the dead.

What is sown is perishable, it sown in dishonor, but it's raised in glory it's sown in weakness it's raised in power. It sown a natural body, but it's raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body. There's also a spiritual body.

Thus it is written, the first data became a living being the last Adam became a life-giving spirit but is not the spiritual that is for us, but the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth amount of dust. The second man is from heaven, as was the man of dust, so also are those more of the dust and as is the man of heaven, so also are those are we who are of heaven, just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

We have a heavenly building. Even though this man is falling apart. This building is from God. God is a direct source. It's not man-made it's not made of human hands. This building is indestructible. It's eternal there'll be no more slow death in our bodies.

It's imperceptible until one day you look in the mirror and look old number, e.g., no more pain, no more decay what you response me as we live in this paradox. What are we to do as we go through life of the grim realities all around us, but the incredible promise before us while we should long. We should hope we wants our heavenly home. We want to be clothed with immortality. We want the mortal to be gold down the destroyed by life and second regions for were told that our mindset must be fixed focused on these glorious eternal realities even as what we see before us.

Screen is the opposite. Though our outer self is wasting away our inner self is being renewed day by day by day for this lights momentary affliction is preparing for us on internal weights of glory beyond all comparison. So we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

So Paul would say to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But Paul was not going to kill himself. He said you know I desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better to stay here minister to you is more necessary. It's needful for me to stay so we long for that glorious time but we should live. We hope that we should hustle while our focus must be on things above, not on things of the earth.

We must not be idle. We must not neglect our daily spots abilities we not must not ignore the present realities all around us in the suffering by others on every side. Part reason the God lets us go through suffering, so that we can minister comfort and grace and peace to those around us. Paul rejoiced in healing and the ongoing ministry of Aphrodite. It's he said I thought it necessary to study up appetite is my brother because you are worried about him because Yuri was ill and yet he was really sick, he almost died, but God had mercy on him. We pray for his healing and God heard us, but not on it only but to me also less. I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Paul was glad to see the healing the peritonitis and he was more eager to send up Aphrodite does this in a sense man raised from the dead, so that when they saw him they would rejoice near live up Aphrodite's were so happy the Lord answers prayer. He tells Timothy in first Millie 523. Don't drink this water but use little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments take medicine. I Jesus perfectly embrace both the suffering of this world and the hope of the next as he went about healing sick people, and this was a temporary fix right your heel but is I think a really helpful passage for anybody going to do as is John 11 and Jesus. Treatment of the death of Lazarus as he steps away from Mary, Martha, and Lazarus is aware that Lazarus is sick and dying and he still delays and delays and he comes back and says his death is for my glory he's gonna live again. Now, Lord, we know you living in the future, but should anyone of that while I wanted him to die so that you could see that I am the resurrection and the life and he brings it back alive. Malaise is gonna die as you long for the glorification for your heavenly home, take care of your temporary tent, eat well, exercise vigorously rest efficiently take precautions use necessary medicines.

Pray for healing, but don't fear and despair when, inevitably, all these things fail. God has given us a guarantee the basis of his mindset is God's plan and promise.

God prepared us fashioned us to this very think this is his perfect plan he intends to use suffering and death in our lives to accomplish his purpose. His redemptive plan requires suffering before glory the most marvelous duration of that is across God when he created this world and plan every thing out was planning the cross for his own glory and we glory in the cross and will forever. This instrument of suffering and death and shame.

God is given us the greatest promise a guarantee, a down payment of first installment, the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is with you. He's with you he comforts you.

His presence is there and his word is read his word and draw from what the Holy Spirit is given we can take encouragement's presence is with us personally and through his word and assures the completion of salvation like to close with a prayer by Douglas McKelvey this is a liturgy for embracing both joy and sorrow since really powerful and think helpful as it puts together this concept of suffering yet rejoicing as we go through this life. Join me please. As we pray together.

Do not be distant, old Lord less I find this burden of loss to heavy and shrink from the necessary experience of my grief. Do not be distant, old Lord, lest I become so mired in yesterday's hurts that I miss entirely the living gifts this day might hold. Let me neither ignore my pain pretending all is okay when it isn't North caudal and magnify my pain so that I might double my capacity to experience all the remains good in this life for joy that denies sorrow is neither hard-won nor true nor eternal.

It is not real joy at all, and sorrow that refuses to make space for the return of joy and hope. In the end becomes nothing more than a temple for the worship of my own woundedness.

So give me strength of God to feel this brief deeply never to hide my heart from it and give me also hope enough to remain open to surprising encounters with joy as one in a woodland path might stumble suddenly into dabbling's of golden lights amid the pain that leads these days. Give me courage, old Lord, courage to live them fully to love and to allow myself to be loved, to remember grieve and honor what was to live with thanksgiving and what is and to invest in the hope of what will be the at work gilding. These long heartbreaks with the advent of new Joyce good friendships, true fellowships, unexpected delights. Remind me again and again of your goodness your presence, your promises, for this is who we are a people of the promise a people shaped in the image of the God whose very being generates all joy in the universe. Yet who also weeps and grieves its brokenness. So we your children are also at liberty to lament our losses even as we simultaneously rejoice in the hope of their coming restoration. Let me learn our Lord to do this as naturally as the inhale and exhale of a single breath to breathe out sorrow to breathe. Enjoy to breathe out lament to breathe and hope to breathe out pain to breathe in comfort to breathe out sorrow to breathe in joy in one hand I grasp the burden of my grief while with the other. I reach for the hope of breach redemption in here between the tension of the two. Between what was and what will be in the very is of now let my heart be surprised by sheets by warmed by remade by the same joy that forever wells within and radiates from your heart.

Oh God, payment you would listing to a message preached in seminary chapel by Dr. Sam Saldivar, which was part of the series ministry according to second Corinthians. Join us again tomorrow as we continue this series on The Daily Platform