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. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 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. (II Corinthians 5: 1-4)
In preparing a funeral message for Amos Stamper I was reminded of something that happened to my wife and me about 25 years ago. We were preparing to leave our home in Louisiana and move to our new home in Kentucky. Being able to afford only one moving van we began the process of weeding out things we no longer needed. Going through my storage building I ran across my old tent. The very sight of it caused memories to flood my mind. Our first outing at the lake with our two year old daughter where the tent filled up with water from a storm, a fishing trip up on the artic watershed in Canada, and the tent drying in the yard and our children pretending to be camping. As I anxiously pulled the tent out into the light I discovered that it was full of mildew, and there were rotted holes in the roof and sides, the screen flap over the door had crumbled, and it had become a home for spiders and mice. As I sat there sadly looking at the old tent in ruins my wife patted me on the head and said, “All is not lost, you still have your memories.” Suddenly it occurred to me that it was not the old tent that gave me such pleasure but what had taken place within it.
Beloved, every tent (body) of Adams’ sons is destined to ruin. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3: 19) But in the eternal purpose of God and by his sovereign grace he has done a marvelous work in these vessels of clay. He has put within us the glorious treasure of Christ. Within these earthen vessels of clay he abides with us and creates within us a good hope through grace. We are saved if we keep in memory what has been preached unto us, unless we have believed in vain. (I Corinthians 15: 2). What believers have that no one else in this world can have is an experiential work of God within. “Christ in you the hope of glory. And they know what other men can never 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.” (II Corinthians 5: 1) When the old tent lies in ruin, God will take what he has put within and preserve it forever with him.
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