Look to the Eternal
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There are many things in life that can cause us to lose heart.
We work hard to eat better and diet and it seems though the weight does not come off and we lose heart.
We go to the doctor and get a diagnoses that we did not expect and we lose heart.
We get to class only to find out we have a pop quiz that we did not prepare for and we lose heart.
We open up our bank statement and see how low it is and lose heart.
On top of all those things that cause us to lose heart, we add a virus, quarantine, and an upcoming election.
How do we deal with all the things that steal our joy and cause us to lose heart?
We look to the eternal.
All these issues and problems that we deal with while on this earth are temporary. If we are to have true joy and happiness in this life then we must look to the eternal.
Don’t Lose heart
Don’t Lose heart
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
Don’t give up
Don’t give up
Paul has been through so much in his life. Since he has come to know Christ he has faced many trials and tribulations.
Even so he still makes this statement “we do not lose heart.” After all that Paul has been through, how can he say that? We see the answer in the verses prior to our text.
For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.
Because Paul knew that a day was coming when he would be raised with Christ and be with Him for all eternity, he did not lose heart.
If you are here today and you have given your life to Jesus then a day is coming when you too will be resurrected with Jesus. When this happens you will be complete, free of all pain and suffering, free of all trials and tribulations.
Paul does not give up in the present because he knows what his future holds. The same is true for you and me who are in Christ.
The Outward is perishing
The Outward is perishing
We may think that Paul does not really understand the world that we live and all the hardships that we face and the fact that our lives are fleeting from us.
Just like us Paul experienced struggles
We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life itself.
Here we see that Paul and those with him were completely overwhelmed, beyond strength, in despair of life.
Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever wanted to give up and throw in the towel? Have you been totally overwhelmed that you despaired of life?
When Paul writes these great words of encouragement to us it is not coming from someone who does not understand our pain. In actuality these words come from someone who truly understood the pains of this life.
More than that, Paul knew he would die at some point. Just like you and me, Paul was on his way to death. His outward man was perishing
In verse 7 Paul compares our bodies to jars of clay. Clay is frail, fragile, easy to break, and hard to put back together. This is a great way to describe our bodies. As they get older they seem to do less and less of the things we want them to do.
Every single one of us is getting older. No matter how hard we try we can’t reverse the age process. Our bodies will get older, they will decay, and a day is coming when you and I will die.
How can Paul say we don’t lose heart then come out with the grim truth that our outward man is perishing? He can say this because even though the outer man grows week, the inner man grows stronger.
The Inward is renewed
The Inward is renewed
Each and every day our inner man is being renewed by the awesome power of God. Just as our body grows older each day, so should our spirit grow stronger each day. You and I should be growing. Each day we are renewed
How are we renewed?
The Spirit of God renews us
Fellowship with each other renews us
The Word of God renews us
The renewal of the inner man gives strength to the struggles of the outer man. Our faith in our Father gives us the strength to keep going even though our bodies and the world around us seems to fail us.
The truth is, our affliction is temporary.
Affliction is momentary
Affliction is momentary
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
Our Troubles are light
Our Troubles are light
When we find ourselves in affliction that last thing that comes to our mind is that it is light. Often, when we find ourselves in the trail we feel as though it is the end of the world.
We also feel as though the trail goes on forever and ever and we wonder: will this affliction every stop?
Here Paul tells us that our afflictions are both light and momentary
I remember when I became a pastor and the struggles that would arise. I would find myself thinking the worst possible outcomes. Every time a problem came along I thought it was the worse problem that could possibly happen. I would share the situation with a pastor friend of mine and he would politely giggle and say that isn’t nothing. I would learn that he was right. It was a light affliction that lasted for a moment. Much bigger problems and issues would arise along the way and I would look back and see that things where never as bad as I thought they were.
When we find ourselves in the midst of affliction we need to change our perspective. Instead of seeing the hurt and pain, we need to see the lesson we can learn.
Afflictions help us to grow
Afflictions help us to grow
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
When I am week, He is strong. Paul says our afflictions are working for us an eternal Glory.
No trail, no tribulation, no affliction, no struggle that you and I could every face can even come close to comparing to the glory that is coming to us
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Second Letter to the Corinthians a. The Eternal Weight of Glory (4:16–18)
Present suffering and affliction is thus not vain and pointless. To the contrary, in God’s hand it works an “eternal weight of glory” beyond all measure
To help put all this in perspective right now there is a virus that is causing all kinds of problems in our world. It has caused us to stay in more, change our routines, closed the schools, taking all the Toilet Paper, caused many to be very sick and even taken a lot of lives. This virus is bad, it is an affliction upon our world.
But even as bad as it is, it cannot come close to comparing to the fact that you have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and one day He is coming back to take you home with Him.
No struggle that we face in this life can every compare to the salvation that God gives us so freely in His Son
Present the Gospel
The eternal weight of Glory is the fact that you and I will live with Jesus one day for all eternity
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
The New American Commentary: 2 Corinthians (5) The Resurrection Hope (4:16–5:10)
The incredible, eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison outweighs any earthly afflictions and makes them look like a tiny storm in a teacup
Our momentary light affliction is working in us an eternal weight of glory. Our perspective needs to be on the triumph of glory not the trial of earth.
When we change our perspective we look not to the things of earth but to the things of heaven. We have eternal focus
Eternal Focus
Eternal Focus
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
What we see is temporary
What we see is temporary
Afflictions are temporary
Our youth is temporary
The world that we live in is temporary for a day is coming when there will be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21:1)
Our very lives on this earth are temporary
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
When we focus on the temporary it is very easy to become discouraged and lose heart.
What we don’t see is eternal
What we don’t see is eternal
So we don’t focus on the temporary, we don’t focus on what we see with our eyes, we focus on the eternal, that is we see with our faith
God’s promises are eternal.
Promises like “I will never leave or your forsake you.” “I am with you always.”
Promises like He is coming back for us, we have a place in heaven, and we are saved.
Promises like we will be given a new body
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Eternity will be so much greater than anything we could ever hope for or imagine on this temporary earth.
How much time do we spend looking at the temporary compared to the eternal?
Conclusion
Conclusion
With all the things in this world that can cause us to lose heart, we need to be reminded that this world is not our home and our time here is temporary
There is a much better place waiting for us in the future so while we are here we need to make the best of it. Paul understood this. In the next few verses of our text today Paul would say:
So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.
What is God saying to you today
Maybe you are here and because of the stress of life you have lost heart. I want to challenge you don’t give up. God loves you more than you know and one day He will come back for you.
Maybe you, like me, needed to be reminded that our problems are light and momentary compared to glory and instead of seeing the trail you need to ask, “God what do you want me to learn from this?”
Maybe you are here and you need to change your perspective. Instead of seeing the temporary you need to see the eternal.
Maybe you are here and need to invest in your eternity for the first time
Let the eternal God of the universe speak to you today and transform you more and more into His image. May your inner man be renewed.
Don’t lose heart, don’t give up, God is still on His throne, God is still in control and none of these problems compare to the eternal weight of glory to come for those of us who are in Christ.