ll CORINTHIANS LESSON 6


     We will begin this lesson in II Corinthians 5:1 "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."

     Christians should not fear death, because we have an eternal
habitation with God in heaven.  Death of our body on the earth is like
stepping out of the door of this earth into the door of heaven. The
tabernacle, spoken of here, is our body of flesh. We see in the next
two verses in Jesus' own words that we have a home in heaven that
Jesus has prepared for us. John 14:2 "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." John 14:3 "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."  II Peter 1:14 "Knowing that shortly I
must put off [this] my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath
shewed me." We see the tabernacle of God is with man in the following
verse. Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, [and be] their God."

     II Corinthians 5:2 "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to
be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:"

     We spoke earlier of how we shed this body of flesh as a man would
shed his outer garment. In heaven, we Christians are dressed in a
white linen garment washed in the blood of the Lamb {Jesus Christ}. It
is our robe of righteousness. It is, in fact, Jesus' righteousness
that we are clothed with. It could be said, that we are clothed with
the Lord.

     II Corinthians 5:3 "If so be that being clothed we shall not be
found naked."

     We would have been naked, but Jesus provided our garment
acceptable to God. When God looks at us, He does not see the sin that
we once had, He sees His Son's shed blood. We are clothed with the
righteousness of Christ.

     II Corinthians 5:4 "For we that are in [this] tabernacle do
groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed
upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."

     Our mortal body grows old, and full of pain, and suffering.
Moses' snake, which represented life, swallowed up the snakes of the
Pharaoh's magicians. The magicians snakes represented death, or Satan.
Death must be swallowed up for life to come. This mortal must put on
immortality. Death of the body has to come for life of the spirit to
begin.

     II Corinthians 5:5 "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame
thing [is] God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the
Spirit."

     Romans 8:23 "And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have
the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our
body."  Jesus was the firstfruit, and we that follow are the first
fruits of the harvest. Let us look at the following verses and find
what this earnest of the spirit is.  Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also
[trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that holy Spirit of promise,"  Ephesians 1:14 "Which is the earnest of
our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto
the praise of his glory."  Jesus sent the Spirit of the Risen Christ
to dwell in the Christian. That is our earnest. We have eternal Life
within us. We must shed our body of flesh for the Spirit of life to
make itself real to us.  Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy
Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

     II Corinthians 5:6 "Therefore [we are] always confident, knowing
that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:"

     This body of flesh gets in the way of total fellowship with the
Lord. This world, or this body, should not be thought of as our
permanent home. We are just travelling through this earth on our way
to the promised land {heaven}. While we are still in our body, we are
attached to this earth. We are in the earth. To live in heaven, we
must leave this earthly dwelling place. Just as the children of Israel
had to leave Egypt {type of the world}, before they could go to their
promised land, we must leave this world to get to our promised land.
The Lord is inside of us, but to fully enjoy fellowship with no
boundaries, we would have to be with Him at the throne of God in
Heaven.

     II Corinthians 5:7 "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"

     Faith is the opposite of fact. If you can see it with your
physical eyes, it takes no faith to believe. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen." Abraham had faith, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. It is our faith that provides our righteousness in
Jesus' blood, as well.

     II Corinthians 5:8 "We are confident, [I say], and willing rather
to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

     When we leave this body of flesh, we are instantly in heaven with
the Lord in our spiritual body. Jesus told the thief on the cross that
today he would be with Him in Paradise. Jesus dismissed His Spirit
from His body and commanded it to go to the Father. Both the Spirit of
Jesus and the spirit of the thief instantly went to heaven, when they
left their bodies of flesh. Revelation 2:7 "He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God."  The Tree of Life {Jesus} is in heaven
with God.  Paradise is in heaven.

     II Corinthians 5:9 "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or
absent, we may be accepted of him."

     The cry of all Christians should be, we'll work till Jesus comes.
The desire of every Christian that I know is that when they stand
before the Lord Jesus as Judge of all the world, that Jesus will say;
Well done, thy good and faithful servant. He will recognize us as His
own, if we have stayed faithful to Him.

     II Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his]
body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad."

     Jesus is the Judge of all the world, as I said. He will separate
the sheep on the right side to dwell with Him in heaven. The goats
will go on the left side, and will be headed for an eternity in hell.
Matthew 16:27 "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his
Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according
to his works." Galatians 6:8 "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of
the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of
the Spirit reap life everlasting." We will see this more fully
explained in Revelation 20:11 "And I saw a great white throne, and him
that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;
and there was found no place for them." Revelation 20:12 "And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works." Revelation 20:13 "And the sea gave
up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their
works." Revelation 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire.  This is the second death." Revelation 20:15 "And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire."
















                     ll Corinthians 6 Questions


1.  Quote 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1.
2.  Why should Christians not fear death?
3.  What is death of our body like?
4.  What does John chapter 14 verses 2 and 3 promise us?
5.  Quote Revelation chapter 21 verse 3.
6.  We shed this body of flesh, as a man sheds what?
7.  What are the Christians clothed with in heaven?
8.  When God looks at us, instead of seeing our past sin, what does He
    see?
9.  Mortality might be swallowed up with ______.
10. What did the snake of Moses do to the snakes of Pharaoh's
    magicians?
11. Who was the firstfruits of the Spirit given to?
12. What is the earnest of the Spirit?
13. Quote Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30.
14. Whilst we are at home in the body, we are _______ from the _____.
15. Where is the Christian's promised land?
16. What was Egypt a type of?
17. To fully fellowship with the Lord with no boundaries, we would
    have to be where?
18. We walk by _______, not by ______.
19. Faith is the opposite of ____.
20. What is faith?
21. What was counted unto Abraham as righteousness?
22. If we are absent from the body, we are present ______ ____ ______.
23. Where did Jesus tell the thief on the cross that He would be with
    him today?
24. Who will Jesus give permission to eat of the Tree of Life?
25. Where is Paradise?
26. What should be the cry of all Christians?
27. What do all believers want to hear Jesus say to them on judgement
    day?
28. We must all appear before the _________ seat of ________.
29. Quote Galations chapter 6 verse 8.
30. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into
    the ________ __ _____.