We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight

In one paragraph

Pastor Carl was under the weather, so another voice led the opening this Sunday. The sermon worked through 2 Corinthians 5:1-11, continuing a series through that letter. The central idea was that a confident hope in heaven shapes the way believers live and work right now. The passage does not begin a new thought. It picks up directly from the end of chapter four, where Paul said that the things...

Read together

1. Jeremiah 32:17 quoted at the opening as a call to worship before the service began
2. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 quoted to show that light and momentary affliction works an eternal weight of glory, and that unseen things are eternal
3. 2 Corinthians 5:1-11 the main passage preached, covering the heavenly dwelling, walking by faith, and the Bema judgment
4. Hebrews 13:14 cited to support the point that this world is not our permanent home
5. Ecclesiastes 3:11 referenced as Solomon saying God has made everything beautiful and put eternity in the hearts of men
6. Philippians 1:21-24 referenced to show Paul weighing whether to live or die, concluding that to die is gain but to live advances the kingdom
7. Acts 18:12-15 quoted to illustrate the legal use of the Bema seat, with Gallio as proconsul judging Paul before the Jews
8. Romans 15:18 quoted by Steve Malek to show the gospel must be both proclaimed and demonstrated
9. 1 Corinthians 3 referenced to discuss building with gold, silver, and precious stones versus wood, hay, and stubble at the Bema judgment
10. 1 Peter 1:8 listed as one of many passages where walking by faith, not by sight, has come up in prior sermons
11. 1 Peter 5:9 listed as one of many passages where the theme of faith over sight has appeared
12. Habakkuk 2:4 listed as one of many passages where the theme of faith over sight has appeared
13. Galatians 3:11 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
14. Hebrews 10:38 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
15. Romans 1:17 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
16. John 3:36 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
17. James 1:27 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
18. 1 Corinthians 13 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
19. Galatians 2:16-20 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
20. Galatians 3:11-12 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight
21. 2 Corinthians 4:18 listed among repeated passages on walking by faith, not by sight

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl mentioned that Paul ties chapter 5 directly to the end of chapter 4, where he wrote that 'the things which are seen are temporary but the things which are not seen are eternal.' How does thinking about the unseen and eternal change the way you approach your daily life?
2. Paul describes the body as a tent and groans for a heavenly dwelling, and Pastor Carl connected this to the Holy Spirit being given as a guarantee or down payment of what is to come. What difference does it make to you personally that God has already given believers something of heaven now, rather than just a promise of it later?
3. Pastor Carl walked through verses 6 through 8 together, where Paul says he is confident whether in the body or absent from it, because we walk by faith and not by sight. Where in your own life do you find it hardest to walk by faith rather than by what you can see?
4. Pastor Carl drew a distinction between the legal image of the Bema seat and its use as the place where athletes received their crowns after a contest. How does understanding the Bema judgment as a place of reward rather than punishment change how you think about living for God now?
5. Toward the end of the sermon, Pastor Carl described things done for the advance of God's kingdom as gold, silver, and precious stones, and said that presenting the gospel gives people the chance to accept or reject it. What is one practical way you could pour something of kingdom value into another person this week?