How To Handle What You Can't Handle**

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2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NASB95

16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Paul develops a mindset in his ministry that keeps him going inspite of the suffereing he faces.

Paul’s ministry brought him suffering in various ways:

2 Corinthians 11:23–27 “23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”

Paul knew something about suffering

The book of 2 Corinthians, seems to address an attack on the authenticity of Paul’s ministry

One of the ways Paul verifies and solidifies that his ministry is valid is he draws attention to the amount of suffering.

That is to say, no one suffers for anything they know to be not genuine

He informs us that His decisions to live and work for God led him to a path of suffering

2 Timothy 3:11–12 “11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Brethren! We live in in a world today that constantly highlights the ease of life

There is always an easy way, quick way, convenient way, comfortable way - no one wants to go through the difficult way -

In order to get to some places you must go through some suffering

Acts 14:22 “22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.””

The god of this world wants you to believe that when you suffer it must mean:

That God is not with you

That God’s policy and promises are not true

That Christianity is a waste of time

But God wants you to know that suffering will come but I will be with you through it all

As Paul writes, a theology develops that the path to glory is through suffering

There is no throne without some thorns

There is no Promised Land without a wilderness

There is no mountaintop experience without a valley experience

There is no crown without the cross

You must learn how to suffer - Because it will come!

If you are in this room, you have either gone through some suffering, going through some suffering, or about to go through some suffering.

The real question is not why am I going through this, But, how am I going to get through this?

What do I do when that time of suffering comes?

How do I handle, what I can’t handle?

Don’t Lose Heart

This is your posture

2 Corinthians 4:16 “16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Paul uses this phrase earlier in verse 1

To not lose heart is to:

Don’t be discouraged

Don’t throw in the towel

Don’t give up

Paul is saying I’m going to keep on keeping on | I’m going to keep plugging away regardless of what’s in my way

Paul admits that the suffering in view is seen and felt physically, this is not just mental anguish

Paul is admitting that this thing is taking it’s toll on them/on him

Paul is saying my faithfulness/committment to God is starting to show itself in the suffering he is experiencing

I’m distressed, afflicted, perplexed, persecuted

BUT......“I do not lose heart”

The reason why Paul is so convicted, he says

“Though the outer man decays (persihes, wasting away)”

“The inner man is being daily renewed”

The part that can be seen, bears the marks of suffering (the tears, grief, hurt, beatings, stoning)

It means to break down or to wear out

But the part that you can’t see is being renewed

Lamentations 3:22–23 “22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Ephesians 3:16 “16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,”

APPL. The outer circumstances don’t have the power to affect the inner man.

We might be beaten, battered and bruised on the outside, but that has no power to dictate what happens to the spirit on the inside

The world/friends/family are wondering why are you still doing this christian thing

But God is doing something for me on the inside

APPL. Too many times we develop a mindset in Christianity that is more concerned with the asthetic than it is with the Spirit

That’s why we don’t lose heart

# 2 The Affliction is Light

This is your perspective

2 Corinthians 4:17 “17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,”

What Paul does is he contrasts AFFLICTION with GLORY

Paul considers what he faces in the ministry with God, as a Christian, as a servant of God

And He says the affliction is:

Momentary - this describes a very brief period of time. So short that this word is sometimes translated “immediately”

Light - light in these days were used to indicate or measure value. This is insignificant, low in value

Then he says the glory is:

Eternal

Weight

Paul says that this glory is “far beyond all comparison” - more than you can ever want

When Paul puts the affliction on one side and the glory on the other side, one is light the other is heavy. One is momentary the other is eternal

Some may not like this. Are yiu suggesting that the pressures I’ve been expereincing for the last 10, 15, 20 years is just to be seen as light and of no value and short?

This will be more unpleasant...

Paul not only contrasts the affliction with the glory

Paul says the affliction “produces” it

The affliction becomes the path to the glory

The word means to cultivate or prepare. It’s working something out for us

The affliction/suffering is the ground of cultivation - This is not to say that suffering is mertorious, and that the payment we receive for suffering is glory

It is to say it produces it so it something we must welcome

Romans 5:3–4 “3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”

James 1:3 “3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 “9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

1 Peter 5:10 “10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

APPL. We need to become comfortable, with the fact that suffering produces things in us and for us

Paul is teaching us that if we look at suffering through eyes of flesh all we see is discomfort, unpleasantness, grief

But if I look at suffering through eyes of faith......I see the incomparable glory its working out for me

This is how I handle what I can’t handle

# 3 Look at the Unseen

My posture (do not lose heart) is informed by my perspective (affliction is light) which is enhnaced by the promise (look at the unseen)

2 Corinthians 4:18 “18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

At first, this statement seems contradictory, how can one look at what is unseen?

It is indeed possible if I look with the right eyes

This verse is the condition for the previous verse

We keep the perspective of vs. 17, “WHILE” doing what’s in vs. 18

You will not be able to see the momnetary, light affliction prducing the eternal weight of glory, if I keep looking at “the things which are seen”

STOP looking at what you can see!

Look means to turn one’s interests or expectations towards something

Paul explains it like this

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 “8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;

9 persecuted, but not forsaken;

struck down, but not destroyed;”

In each of these moments Paul could’ve turned to the suffering, pain, hurt, BUT he turned

He turned to what it is producing instead of what he was experiencing

We need to be Christians who can say

I was afflicted in every way but I’m not crushed

I was struck down but not destroyed

I went through the divorce but I’m still standing

I went through unemployment but I’m here to give God the praise

I was sick but now I’m healed and I will gove God all of the glory

We need to be Christians that are willing to acknowledge what I’m experiencing but look.....at what it’s producing.

I can only do this when I “look at the unseen”