Today's Bible Study Lesson
“Hope Eternal”
Aim: Acknowledge
the
hope
Paul, faced with death, manifested in God’s eternal promise,
Experience
awe
in the faith of family and friends, who are facing their mortality,
and Develop
a
growing trust in God’s promise of eternal life through faith.
Background: 2
Corinthians
4:16
–
5:10
Bible Lesson:
2
Corinthians
4:16
–
5:10
Memory
Verses:
“For
we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens.”
2 Corinthians
5:1 KJV
Some
Highlights:
-
Our
Study opens with Paul
describing
himself as one who is composed of
an outer man and an inner man. The outer man is decaying daily while
the inner man is being renewed. He gives this as a reason why he
does not become discouraged by the difficulties, persecution, and
troubles that he encounters in the spreading of the Gospel. He
compares persevering in spite of obstacles in doing the Will of the
Lord as a small cost compared
to
the reward that awaits him from the Lord. He further compares the
temporary duration of troubles to the reward of Eternal
Life,
which as it states in eternal.
-
Paul
encourages his readers to not focus on the troubles we will
encounter in life while doing the Will of the Lord, but instead to
look beyond them to the things that we cannot see, that of Eternal
Life.
He explains that the things that
are seen
are momentary and finite, but the things not seen are lasting,
eternal.
-
In
2 Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul compares our bodies to a tent, a temporary
shelter, to the glorified bodies that are promised to believers as a
house. He admits that our bodies were not created for eternity and
that they will decay with time; however,
those who accept and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are
promised glorified bodies made by God Himself which will not decay
for
they
are created for Eternity. Paul further compares our glorified bodies
to new clothing which a person longs to put on. He says believers
groan and sigh as
they long for their
glorified bodies. But this is not a Death Wish or a wish to die to
receive the glorified body. Instead it is a desire to move from the
land of the dying to the land of eternal
living where we receive
our glorified bodies and
are
in
the presence of Our Heavenly Father.
In
John 14:3, Jesus states “And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.”
The Holy Spirit, who is placed in each person who accepts Jesus
Christ as Savior
and Lord, is a constant reminder and
a guarantee of the promise of Eternal Life.
-
In
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Paul shares his confidence in the reality of a
glorified body even as he lives in his present earthly
body. He explains that
a
glorified body
is
required to reside in our eternal home with
God,
Our
Heavenly Father.
Believers are required to live our lives by
faith and not just relying
on
what
we can see with our natural eyes. Additionally, Paul makes it clear
that whether we are
in our earthly bodies or our glorified bodies the believer’s goal
and desire is to please God. He concludes our study with the
sobering thought there is a time that
we must stand before Jesus Christ to give
account
of
our deeds done
in
our earthly bodies whether they be good or evil.
Take
Aways:
-
Those
who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are promised a glorified
body for
Eternity.
-
Believers
must live our lives with faith in Jesus Christ and not trusting only
what we see with our natural eyes
-
Troubles
and tribulations don’t last forever and they
pale
in comparison with the blissful time in Eternity with God Our
Heavenly Father.
Bible
Verses to Keep in Mind:
“For
his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favour [is] life: weeping
may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning.” Psalm
30:5 KJV
“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 unto
myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.” John
14:2-3 KJV
“This
is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved.” Acts
4:11-12 KJV
“That
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven,
and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;” Philippians 2:10 KJV
“That
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven,
and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that]
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.” Philippians
2:10-11 KJV
“Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.” 1 John
3:2 KJV
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