How to Have Continuous Encouragement (Part 1 of 2)

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, 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 God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

— 2 Corinthians 5

The Two S's and Sanctification

Paul has presented much in previous chapters of 2 Corinthians to encourage Christians facing hard times. The problems the Corinthians experienced—and every Christian faces—can be summarized by the two S's: sin and suffering. These affect your third S: sanctification.

Sanctification is the process where God removes the pollution and corruption of sin, making you holy. It changes you into what God declared you to be in justification: just like Jesus, set free. Sin hinders sanctification, preventing progress. Suffering, surprisingly, helps it, pushing you forward.

So we should stop sinning to remove the hindrance, and be willing to suffer because it advances sanctification. We don't need to seek unnecessary suffering; living more like Christ will bring it naturally. Jesus didn't suffer immediately upon his arrival. It came as he revealed himself more, and the world hated him more. The more we display Christ-like lives, the more suffering we incur—and the more we grow in sanctification.

Responding to Hard Times

But what do we do when times get very hard? How do we respond to suffering? This passage shows us how to have continuous encouragement.

The problem in hard times isn't a lack of encouragement sources—illness, family pressure, persecution, deadlines. We can find temporary cheer or distractions like movies. But we need permanent confidence to face any difficulty, not fleeting relief. We want a continuous source of encouragement that really works—a deep well, not one that runs dry.

To have continuous encouragement, three things from this passage:

1. Know Stuff

Continuous encouragement requires knowing certain truths. Paul says "we know" three times. We may learn them anew or be reminded, but we must know and apply them.

The Reality of Our Bodies

We need new bodies. These earthly tents are temporary. We will receive incorruptible bodies fit for eternity—no disease, death, or decay, fully able to enjoy God without sin.

Hard times won't last forever. They have an expiration date. When we put on heavenly bodies, pain ends. Hard times cause nearsightedness; we can't see beyond them. But Paul preaches the reality: new bodies mean no more hard times, no more sin or suffering, total sanctification.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Growing in Godly Things Now

We know what will happen when God magnificently and with his entire power completely changes our lives, changes our bodies, brings us into eternity future with him. But what about now? What should we be doing now? This passage does not teach a group of Christians who sit around and just think on eternity. I'm not providing for my family. I'm not working. I'm not serving the Lord because I'm just thinking on eternity and there's my comfort. Clearly that's not what the apostle Paul would have in mind. And he even explicitly says within this verse that what we should be doing is growing in godly stuff. That's what you do now. You grow in godly stuff. Godly stuff are biblical things defined biblically as things that please God. Because the apostle Paul says whether you're with the Lord or whether you're absent from the Lord, it is your task and your duty as a Christian. And in fact, your enjoyment as a Christian to be pleasing to God.

Notice what verse nine said.

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

Regardless of where you're at either at home with the Lord or away from the Lord, we make it our aim to please God. That's what we do now is we please God. That's what we do then is we please God. Everything that we do as Christians should have the focus, the aim. Like you're about to shoot a target and you're zeroing in on the point. And the whole point of the Christian is to please God. That's your aim. So when you look at the suffering that you go through, it's not your aim to experience relief. It's not your aim to get out of the circumstance. It's your aim to please God. Which of course knowing these things, doing these things is exactly how you begin to experience the relief. But he's saying the focus is on pleasing God. Too many people pray in the midst of suffering for something that would please themselves. How many of you in the midst of suffering are praying for God's strength to be pleasing to Him? And how many of us are doing things that are attempts at pleasing ourselves versus doing things that are attempts at pleasing God?

How to Please God

How do we please God? The first thing that we need to do in order to please God is that we need to learn from and be like Christ. We need to learn from and be like Christ. Christ is infinitely pleasing to the Father. He is perfectly pleasing to the Father.

John 8:28-29
Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on my own authority. But speak, just as the Father taught me, and He who sent me is with me, He has not left me alone for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.

There's not a single moment of Jesus' life where He did not do something that was pleasing to God. Whatever Jesus would have done, it would have been pleasing to God, because He says, I always do the things that are pleasing to Him. And I don't even do a single thing that is unpleasing to the Father.

The only way to learn from and be like Christ is to read Him in the Gospels and in the rest of Scriptures. I have to read Jesus in order to be like Jesus.

Number three, we need to repent from sin and not live the way unbelievers think we should live.

Romans 8:8
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those that do things from fleshly motivated desires, from impulses, from passions, from all of the things that belong to the flesh, all of those sensual things, something that is pleasing to my sight, to my ears, to my taste, to my touch, those who do things on the basis of those senses cannot please God, and on the basis of their sinful nature.

Number four, in order to be pleasing to God, we need to preach the Gospel to ourselves and to those around us.

1 Corinthians 1:21
In the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the foolishness of what we preach to save those who believe.

Gospel-centered preaching pleases God.

Stay true to the Bible's definition of the Gospel, even if it causes you to lose friends, family members, or anything.

Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God, or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a slave of Christ, who was pleased to reveal his son to me in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles.

So the unwavering, uncompromising stance in the Gospel pleases God.

Serve God and learn God in order to be pleasing to him.

Colossians 1:10
So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

How are you fully pleasing to him by bearing fruit in every good deed and increasing in the knowledge of God?

Be obedient to parents.

Colossians 3:20
Children obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord.

Pray for those who are rulers and leaders. One of the ways that we can be pleasing to God now, as a means of enduring our circumstances, is to pray for rulers, praying for Trump, praying for our senators, for our representatives, for governors, for anybody who is willing to be pleasing to God. Pray for those who are in high positions,

in order that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified, in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior.

Always trust in God that He knows best, and will always do what is our best, and puts us through what is best for us. In other words, trust God in all things. He knows what is best, He will always do what is best, and He will always put you through what is best. He is sovereign, accepting that God is sovereign is pleasing to Him, trusting that He is the creator and sustainer of the world. He is absolutely sovereign. Both of those points go along with

Hebrews 11:6
Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him.

Be diligent to take care of each other. This is pleasing to God,

Hebrews 13:16
Do not neglect to do good, and to share what you have for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Be obedient to God, loving Him, and loving those around us. Be obedient to God by loving Him, loving those around us, and not loving the world.

1 John 3:22
Whatever we ask, we receive from Him because we keep His commandments, and do what we say to Him. John defines keeping His commandments, loving God, and as of being from God.