God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains; it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

C. S. Lewis

Sufferings, rather than threatening or weakening our hope, as we might expect to be the case, will, instead, increase our certainty in that hope. Hope, like a muscle, will not be strong if it goes unused. It is in suffering that we must exercise with deliberation and fortitude our hope, and the constant reaffirmation of hope in the midst of apparently “hopeless” circumstances will bring ever-deeper conviction of the reality and certainty of that for which we hope (see Rom. 4:18–19)

Douglas J. Moo

Suffering dispels the illusion that we have the strength and competence to rule our own lives and save ourselves. People “become nothing through suffering” so that they can be filled with God and his grace.

Timothy Keller

The Opportunity of Opposition

2 Corinthians 4:7–18

[Intro – Who I Am + Why I’m Here]

Good morning. My name is Eric, and it’s an honor to be with you today. I’ve spent over a decade in full-time vocational ministry, primarily focused on discipleship and leadership development. I love helping people discover how God wired them and find the ways they’re uniquely created to build God’s Kingdom.

These days, I serve with an organization called Childcare Worldwide. We partner with churches around the world to help fulfill the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel and the love of Christ with children living in poverty in Uganda, Kenya, India, and Peru.

And if something in your heart stirs when you hear that—if you want to learn how to help a child experience the love and hope of Christ—I’d love to talk with you after the service. Come find me. That’s not a pitch—it’s an invitation to be part of something eternal.

[Transition to Sermon Theme]

It was actually in Uganda that I first encountered something that permanently altered my life and my calling. I saw children with nothing—no shoes, no running water, barely any food—but they were dancing and worshiping God with more joy and intensity than I had ever seen. And I thought: How is this possible?

Because if I’m honest, I had more resources, more security, more opportunity—but less resilience. Less joy. That moment wrecked me—and reshaped me.

It was there that I began to see something I’d missed in the American church and in my own life: suffering isn’t always the enemy. Sometimes, suffering is the very place God meets us most deeply. It can be the doorway to something sacred. Something weighty. Something holy.

**Suffering is not a detour from God’s plan.

It might be the very path He’s using to transform you.**

So today, we’re looking at 2 Corinthians 4:7–18. And we’re going to unpack this truth: Suffering can be an opportunity—if we let God use it.

Now let me say this clearly—suffering in Uganda doesn’t look like suffering in America. But just because we don’t experience war, famine, or extreme poverty doesn’t mean we’re not suffering. Ours just wears different clothes.

Here, suffering looks like:

Losing a child through miscarriage

Battling cancer or chronic illness

A marriage slowly drifting into cold distance

Mental health struggles: anxiety, depression

Loneliness in a room full of people

Losing your job, your dreams, your sense of purpose

Watching someone you love walk away from the faith

We don’t always bleed on the outside. But we all carry bruises in the soul.

So let’s look at what the Apostle Paul says. Because he’s not preaching this from a beach house—he’s writing as a man who has suffered intensely. But instead of despair, what we find in his words is a defiant, gospel-fueled hope.

1. Suffering Reorients Our Priorities

2 Cor 4:7 – “But we have this treasure in jars of clay…”

Paul starts with this picture—fragile clay jars holding treasure. In the ancient world, clay jars were cheap, breakable, unimpressive. But the treasure? That’s the Gospel. The presence of Christ in us.

Here’s the message: You and I? We’re the jars. Breakable. Temporary. Limited. But the treasure inside us is eternal.

Suffering has a way of showing us that the jar was never the point. It helps us see what actually matters.

New Living Translation Chapter 1

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Suffering strips away the illusion of control. It interrupts our addiction to comfort. It presses reset on our priorities.

2. Suffering Refines Our Faith

2 Cor 4:8–10 – “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed…”

Paul lists a series of tensions here: Afflicted, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not driven to despair. Struck down, but not destroyed.

He’s not denying suffering—he’s naming it. But he’s also saying it doesn’t get the final word.

Let me take a moment and be vulnerable. Savannah and I experienced the loss of our first three pregnancies. We were young, excited to become parents—and we were absolutely devastated. We prayed. We asked for answers. And for a long time, there weren’t any.

We were desperate. We were tired. And we were holding onto hope by a thread.

But God was faithful. Not just because He eventually gave us three beautiful kids—though He did. He was faithful because He walked with us through the pain. And now, He’s used our story to minister to so many couples who’ve experienced similar grief. That’s how God works.

1 Peter 1:6–7 says, “You have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold—may result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Pain doesn’t destroy faith—it refines it. God uses it to make our trust in Him more real, more rugged, more resilient.

3. Suffering Renews Our Hope and Joy

2 Cor 4:16 – “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

Let that land: “Day by day.” Not all at once. Not instant transformation. Daily renewal.

Back in Uganda, watching those children worship, I saw that joy doesn’t come from circumstances—it comes from Christ.

We tend to think we need comfort to have joy. But maybe it’s suffering that gives joy its deepest roots.

Romans 8:18 says, “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Hope is not wishful thinking. It’s anchored in something stronger than death. It’s the promise of resurrection.

Joy is not ignoring pain. It’s discovering the presence of Jesus in the midst of it.

4. Suffering Reveals God’s Power and Presence

2 Cor 4:10–11, 15 – “So that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

Here’s the mystery: Our weakness becomes a witness.

When people see you persevere, when they see you still singing when you shouldn’t have any song left—they see Jesus.

Romans 8:28–29 says that God works all things together for good—not that all things are good—but that He uses them for His glory and our transformation into the image of His Son.

The cracks in your life are where the light of Christ shines through.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing you can say to the world is not a perfectly crafted testimony—but a tear-streaked, faith-filled “I still believe.”

Conclusion: Horatio and Anna Spafford

Let me close with this.

Horatio and Anna Spafford were no strangers to suffering. They lost a young son to scarlet fever. Then the Great Chicago Fire wiped out most of their wealth. A short time later, Anna and their four daughters were on a ship headed to Europe when it collided with another vessel and sank. All four daughters drowned. Anna survived.

When Horatio received the telegram—“Saved alone”—he boarded a ship to meet his grieving wife. And as he passed over the waters where his daughters had died, he penned these words:

“When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.”

That is not denial. That is gospel defiance.

Horatio and Anna eventually moved to Jerusalem and spent the rest of their lives serving the poor and building community across lines of ethnicity, religion, and class. Their daughter carried on their legacy.

Because the Gospel doesn’t just redeem your story—it reframes your legacy.

Invitation to Worship

So today, we don’t sing because life is easy. We sing because Jesus is faithful. We sing because even in suffering—it is well.

[Invite the congregation to stand and sing: “It Is Well with My Soul.”]