I. Raining when camping – Army – raining, training – dream of being in barracks or at home
II. Dreaming of home while living in a tent is what our text today is talking about
A. Just like our home is in our dreams it is also a reality
B. We have to live in these tents while we wait for heaven
C. Sometimes life can feel like Chinese water torture in these leaky tents
III. Promises – what is the certainty?
A. We reserved a rental truck from a company to remain nameless. We went to pick it up on the day we reserved it and they didn’t have any trucks. We were very disappointed. What is the point of the reservation if they don’t keep it?
B. “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose (to live with Him in heaven) and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” v. 5
C. You can be sure because deposit has already been made – Mormons on my door step
IV. What is a deposit? Something given in the past/present that guarantees the future
A. What a difference that makes now, living in the security of Jesus
B. FDIC – bank accts. secure as our government – that is pretty good
C. God’s deposit is guaranteed by his agency, the church, but also by Jesus, the Lord of the Church
D. It costs to get a guarantee – how about eternal life?
1. It cost God, His son – Jesus paid for our guarantee
V. Our salvation is paid in full but we haven’t received it in full – look to the future
VI. It is a gift – I visited a couple one time in their home who complained about a niece who got married. All the invitations were sent out and everything was in order but they never received a thank you card for the gift they sent. They were very upset. I asked them if it was a gift they sent. They said yes. Then they shouldn’t expect a thank you card because the definition of a gift is that it has no strings attached.
VII. How do we live in these leaky tents though?
A. Life is different knowing we have a better home waiting
B. One of the greatest fears of people is dying
C. Enjoy life but don’t have to be afraid of departing – we know what is waiting for us
D. Enjoy life but we know this is only a temporary sitch
E. We don’t lose heart when things don’t go our way – we were trying to plant a new church at the time
F. We have security – we have a deposit, guaranteeing our future
G. We are already priceless in God’s eyes so we don’t need to have it all, flaunt what we do have, instead we can be generous with what God has given us
VIII. Financial advisors help people meet their financial goals
A. In a sense, we are spiritual investment consultants
B. We know the spiritual forecast – only those that believe in Jesus go to heaven
C. Therefore, we provide others with the information they need to make wise investments with their hearts and lives
IX. What is the future value of our present faith then?
A. A deposit is made with the promise of more payments to come
B. Paul wrote in Philippians, chapter 1 that “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
X. In the meantime, we “make it our goal to please Him.”
A. We do this not in order to earn interest on our heavenly deposit
B. We respond to God’s wonderful gifts with thankful hearts and grateful lives
