Trials

2 Corinthians 4:7–18 KJV 1900

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 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.

I. Our afflictions show that the message is of God.

A. We have unseen power despite the visible afflictions.

1. Statement: We are persecuted, so the power can be seen to come from God, not humans. (7)

Gideon learned this lesson when his army, reduced to three hundred, besieged the Midianites with weapons of trumpets and burning lamps within clay pots (Judg. 7:16). Just as the pots had to be broken to let the lamps shine, so believers must be broken to manifest the light of God through them.

2. Illustrating evidence: We are persecuted, but this does not stop us (four overlapping pairs). (8-9)

B. In our afflictions, we illustrate a contrast between death and life.

Troubled (Afflictions): These are the normal trials which everybody faces, Christian and non-Christian alike. . .

Not Distressed:

Any number of the catastrophes that befell Paul could have exerted intense compressions. But his pressured weakness was always met with God’s power, and he was “not crushed.” “We are squeezed but not squashed.” Perfect! Paul, clay vessel that he was, was astonishingly resilient but never squashed.

Perplexities: This refers to all the pressing calls for decisions, when we don’t know what to decide. We are at a loss, we can’t see the end, we don’t know how it is going to turn out. We are afflicted with fears, anxieties, worries, and uncertainties, all gathered up in this word “perplexities.”

Fragile as Paul’s humanity was when confronted with difficulties and loss, he was never befuddled and despairing.

Persecutions: These are the misunderstandings we all run up against, the ostracisms, the cold shoulders which are shown to us at times, the malicious actions and attitudes, deliberate slights, attacks on our character and our reputation, and oftentimes, the bigoted, prejudiced, unfair practices of members of society against one another, all part of the Christian’s life as well as the non-Christian’s.

Persecuted is from diōkō, which means “to pursue,” or “to hunt.” Paul’s many enemies stalked him day in and day out (cf. Acts 9:23–24, 28–29; 14:5–6, 19; 20:3; 23:12). But despite that, Paul was not forsaken, deserted, or abandoned. His Lord never left him to face an impossible difficulty on his own.

And finally,

Cast down (Catastrophes): “Struck down!” Stunning, shattering blows which drop out of the blue into our lives — accidents, fatal illnesses, war, earthquake, famine, riot, insanity — these terrible episodes which shatter a family or an individual, and leave us frightened and baffled. All these things are part of normal Christian experience. There is no change in the problems, the pressures.

Cast down is from kataball? and means “to strike down,” as with a weapon, or “to throw down,” as in a wrestling match. Destroyed is from apollumi, which could also be translated “ruined,” “lost,” or even “killed.” In modern boxing terms, Paul may have been knocked down, but he was not knocked out. He triumphed not by escaping adversity but by successfully enduring it.

1. Our physical life illustrates the mortality that Jesus had, and we are persecuted because of him,4 but we nevertheless also show his life [i.e., he lives in us and we preach life in him].5 (10-11)

To carry around the death of Christ was to suffer repeatedly for his glory. Paul declared that these sufferings happen always. He and his company did not experience their union with Christ’s sufferings in one act. They endured the suffering repeatedly everywhere they went.

Even so, there was a purpose to all this suffering. The goal was that the life of Jesus might also be revealed in their body. Paul taught throughout his epistles that the reward for those who suffered for Christ was a resurrection body for eternal life (Phil. 3:10–11). This resurrection in the future will result from our union with the resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:5). The troubles that believers experience in this world will result in the glory of the next world.

b. Sharing in the Resurrection of Jesus

“that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body”

2. Afflictions of our mortality go hand in hand with your possession of eternal life. (12)

II. Why do we persevere in preaching? Because of our faith in a resurrection.

In verse 10, Paul “carries” the death of Jesus in his own body; in verse 11, Paul himself is the living one who is given over to death by God. But this does not lead Paul to the conclusion that the “life” he mediates is his own—it remains the “life of Jesus” (4:11b).

1. Like the psalmist, faith motivates us to preach. (13)

Testimony Springs From Faith

That was Paul’s response to the critics of his bold preaching. His unwavering faith compelled him to preach (cf. Rom. 1:15; 1 Cor. 9:16); it was impossible for him to believe the gospel truth but not long to proclaim it.

2. Content of our faith: God will raise us and you to be with Jesus. (14)

Testimony Springs From Confidence in the Resurrection

No matter what the circumstance, Paul’s commitment to preach derives from his assurance for the future, the initial fulfillment of which he has already experienced in the Spirit.

The first is that he has that same spirit of faith (13) as the writer of Psalm 116 who thankfully testified to God’s deliverance of him from death. Paul’s recent and profound awareness of death (1:8–10) has led to an intensified understanding of the “all-surpassing power” of God to deliver him (7). In particular, his more deeply realized faith that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us (14) has led the apostle to say with the psalmist, we also believe and therefore speak (13). So far from having lost heart (1, 16), as his critics claim, the recent experience of deliverance from death has strengthened Paul’s resurrection faith, and because of this he writes, we . . . speak (the Greek implies “continue to speak”) the word of God.

The second reason for his missionary zeal was his passion for the glory of God (15). Paul laboured in the ministry of the new covenant so that more and more people (15) would come to understand the grace of God and cause thanksgiving to overflow to him. Paul longed that men and women who “neither glorified [God] as God nor gave thanks to him” (Rom. 1:21) would, in increasing number, be converted through the gospel and express thankfulness to God, and so glorify him.

, we must understand that while the foundation of Paul’s faith was in the past, Paul now goes on to show that the focus of his faith was on the future. What heartened him for the battle and fortified him to preach Christ Jesus in every circumstance was his dynamic certainty and confidence about the future. It will become ever so clear in this passage that what Paul longed for and believed about the future had everything to do with how he lived in the present. And it is exactly the same for us. Our beliefs and hopes for the future exert a control that dictates how we live our present lives. Our “futures” determine the present.

Psalm 116:10 “10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:”

3. Purpose of our preaching: for your benefit and for others, so God's giving and people's thanks will continue to expand,6 thus glorifying God.7 (15)

III. Our afflictions are slight compared to our future glory, so we persevere.

Testimony Springs From the Ultimate Desire to See God Glorified

We keep telling people about Jesus because we know lives are changed because of the Grace(mercy) of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ

A. Therefore [because of our faith] in our inner nature we have a persevering attitude despite the physical afflictions the gospel brings us. (16)

SUFFERING AFFLICTION WITH PERSEVERANCE REQUIRES FOCUSING ON THE ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY

B. Contrasts of physical afflictions and spiritual rewards

1. Temporal contrast: A momentary affliction simply can't compare with an eternal glory. (17)

2. Visual contrast coupled with temporal: We look not at the visible things that will pass away, but at the invisible realities that will last forever.8 (18)

Main Application = Don’t Lose Heart

Battleground: Physical vs. Spiritual –

Maturing Spiritual Life More Than Compensates for Deteriorating Physical Life

Paul teaches that as we embrace our weakness, God fills us with his power so that his power is manifested through us. We do not become powerful. We remain weak. We do not grow in power. We grow in weakness. We go from weakness to weakness, which is to remain vessels of his power — ever weak and ever strong.

Psalm 118:14 KJV 1900

14 The Lord is my strength and song, And is become my salvation.

Eternal Reward — When it Comes to Eternity – No Comparison

) Eternal Focus

Main Idea: God wants you to be broken so you’ll depend on him and reflect Jesus.

If You’re Going to Be 100 Percent Broken, You Must Know This:

I. God Puts Power in the Vessel (4:7).

II. God Puts Pressure on the Vessel (4:8-9).

A. God loves to break up your plans. God’s plans are the best plans

B. God loves to break up your will.

not mine will But God’s

III. God Promotes Jesus through the Vessel (4:10).

IV. God Has a Purpose for the Vessel (4:11-18).