Strength to Endure

Intro

Good morning, church.

If you have your copy of God’s Word, go ahead and open it to 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

This morning I want to talk about something I believe is especially important—especially after last week, when Pastor Mike spoke about the changes ahead and the future of our church.

Let’s be honest—change can be scary. Not knowing what’s next can make us anxious. But even when things feel uncertain, we have a God who is unchanging, faithful, and right in the middle of it with us. He doesn’t promise life will be easy—but He does promise we’ll never walk alone.

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul shows us that even in suffering, confusion, or weakness, God is working. He gives us the strength through his Holy Spirit to keep going, the courage to stay faithful, and the hope of something far greater than what we can see right now.

So this morning, I want to walk through this chapter together—and I want you to see what Paul saw — and it is this — Ministry is hard. Ministry is hard but it is worth it because those of us who are faithful will be rewarded for our faithfulness on the day when Jesus Christ returns.

Paul didn’t write this from an easy place. He wasn’t coasting. He was under pressure. He was hurting. He was being misunderstood and even persecuted. And yet, he says twice in this chapter: “We do not lose heart.”

That’s what I want us to think about together today:

How do we not lose heart—when things are changing… when life is hard… when we feel weak?

Let’s read this chapter together and see what God has for us. I’m going to go ahead and read the entire chapter and then I will have three points for your notes.

2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 1,

2 Corinthians 4 ESV

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Context — Ministers of the New Covenant

The Second Letter to the Corinthian Church is a series of answers Paul is giving to charges being brought up against him by false teachers and trouble makers within the church. The Corinthian Church was a mess. One of the things that is being brought up against Paul was his calling into the ministry. There were teachers that would question the legitimacy of Paul’s Apostleship — and the gospel he preached.

Proto-Gnostics, Judaizers and other false teachers were creeping their way into the church and Paul was working hard to fight for a pure gospel and pure doctrine. The Gnostics would say that Paul was hiding the truth. That there was a secret knowledge that must be obtained to have real salvation. The Judaizers taught that Paul took elements of the gospel out to make the message more appealing to Gentiles. They essentially taught that the Old Covenant was still in affect and that in order to truly be saved, you must receive circumcision and follow the Jewish/Mosaic Law.

By the way, doctrine is important and having a theology that is in alignment with what the Scriptures actually teach is important. Know what you believe and know how to fight against false teachings. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that doctrine and Theology are unimportant.

In the previous chapter (2 Corinthians 3), Paul makes the point that we are ministers of the New Covenant. If you look back just a page, in verse 5, he says this,

2 Corinthians 3:5–6 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

As New Testament Christians, we are under the New Covenant. What is the New Covenant? The New Covenant is the Covenant made by God through the blood of his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The New Covenant began at the cross when Christ shed his blood to make us Sons and Daughters of God. We enter into this covenant through faith in the gospel. Faith and repentance, these are the only things required to be a child of God. Amen?

And when we enter into that Covenant, we are made ministers of that New Covenant. You see, under the Old Covenant, ministers had to be a part of a certain Tribe and be descendants of a particular patriarch. That Covenant has since passed away and Christ began a new Covenant that anyone can be a part of. This is great news!

Did you know that you are a minister of the gospel? Its not just Mike and the elders. Everyone of you, if you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, are made a minister of the New Covenant.

As Baptists, we fall under the Protestant umbrella. One of the most key doctrines of the Protestant Reformation is the idea of every believer is a minister. This is the doctine of the ministry of the believer.

We need to unlearn this idea in our modern Christian culture that only Pastors and Missionaries do ministry. This is unbiblical. All of us are ministers. In fact, your pastor’s job is to equip you for the work of the ministry.

Look over in chapter 5, Paul says,

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

This is important — Paul is writing to the entire church, not just the leaders.

And guess what? Ministry is hard. And it can be so easy for you to want to give up.

If I could be transparent just for a moment, this past Monday, I was feeling it. I was texting Clay and Emily that I needed prayer, that I was just feeling this intense depression. I was under attack from the enemy.

That’s when I got a message from Mike asking me to teach this morning. In that moment I knew that this is what I wanted to speak on. All of us will feel this temptation to quit. To give up on our calling for something easier.

Listen to me church, don’t do it. Instead, persevere to the end. Remain faithful to the calling that God has placed on your life. Do not let the enemy come in to discourage you.

Pastor Mike always says that you know you are on the right track when you are faced with Spiritual Warfare. The devil and his demons will only attack those he sees as a threat.

We are about to go through a season of change in this church, as Pastor Mike mentioned last week. And as Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. Things will get hard but just know that it will be worth it if you don’t give up.

As I mentioned earlier, I want to leave you with three things from 2 Corinthians chapter 4. And the first thing in your notes is this,

Don’t Lose Heart (1-6)

Paul opens this chapter—and repeats again in verse 16—with the phrase: “We do not lose heart.”

In other words: Don’t give up.

Look at verse 1:

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.”

Paul is reminding us where our ministry comes from. It doesn’t come from effort. It doesn’t come from talent or charisma. It doesn’t even come from results.

You are not a minister because you are descendant of Zadok of the Tribe of Levi. Instead, we have this ministry that comes from mercy. God gave you this ministry, not because you deserve it but because God is good and he chooses to use broken people like you and me to fulfill his mission in this world.

You didn’t earn the privilege of serving God—and that means you’re not expected to sustain it in your own strength either.

The last time I preached, we were in Ephesians chapter 2, do you remember? God did all of the heavy lifting in saving us and he does all of the hard work of keeping us. Our ministry was given to us because he is merciful. And he did it that way so that no one can boast. All glory goes to God.

You and I have been entrusted with the ministry of the New Covenant—the gospel of grace. And because that ministry is founded on mercy, we cannot quit when it gets hard.

Paul had every earthly reason to give up. He was rejected, misunderstood, attacked. But he didn’t give up—because his calling wasn’t based on how things were going around him. It was based on God’s mercy working within him.

In verse 2, Paul shows us exactly what giving up this ministry looks like. He says 2 Corinthians 4:2 “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word…” What Paul means by “We don’t lose heart,” is that we don’t change the message.

Have you ever had an opportunity to share the gospel with someone and you felt the temptation to lighten the message just a little bit? Listen, the gospel is offensive. The gospel is honest about who you are and what your greatest need is.

As I mentioned a few minutes ago, Paul’s gospel was being challenged and he was being accused of making the gospel easier for Gentiles to accept. The gospel is simple. We don’t add to it. We don’t take away from it. We must be committed to share the complete gospel with people and be very careful to not add to it or soften the requirements.

We do not need fancy rhetoric or convincing arguments to share the gospel. We do not manipulate. We preach the gospel and let God do the rest. When we change the gospel, either by adding to it or taken away from its requirements, we are not trusting God. We are trusting in our own ability to convince.

Do you remember when we were in Ephesians chapter 2? It is God that saves sinners. It is God that convicts of sin and draws unbelievers to himself. He does the heavy lifting.

Let this be freeing to you because all you need to do is be obedient with the mission...the ministry that he has given you. Preach the gospel to anyone that is willing to listen and watch God work!

God does the heavy lifting when we evangelize the lost but that does not mean that we will not be faced with opposition. He says in verse 3, 2 Corinthians 4:3 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.” Paul says that there is a veil over the eyes of the unbelievers that reject the gospel message. But where does that veil come from?

Verse 4, 2 Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Who is the god of this world? It’s Satan. The Devil. If you do not believe that the Devil and other demonic forces are active in the world, you are setting yourself up for some serious frustrations as you share the gospel. You are also opening yourself up to be attacked.

You might be thinking, how is the Devil the god of this world? Isn’t God the god of this world? Isn’t the earth the Lord’s and the fullness thereof?

Yes, but when Adam sinned in the garden, when Adam chose sin over perfect relationship with God, Satan gained a kind of temporary authority in this fallen world. Adam was given dominion, but when he sinned, that dominion was corrupted, and Satan became “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) and “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), not by rightful ownership, but by deceptive influence. God is still sovereign—make no mistake—but in His wisdom, He has allowed Satan limited rule for a limited time.

That’s why we see such spiritual blindness, confusion, and rebellion in the world. But Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and reclaim what was broken. And one day, Christ will return and fully and finally crush Satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20).

So, when you are sharing the gospel and you get a RED light, just know that it is not you. There is a veil over that person’s face that is preventing them from believing the gospel. And this veil comes from the enemy. We have a very real enemy who has real power in this world. We must pray against Satan and his agents before we even open our mouths to share the gospel.

What’s really important is that you are faithful and you are obedient. The message of the glorious, biblical gospel must remain primary to our mission.

Verse 5, Paul says 2 Corinthians 4:5–6 “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

All Paul is saying here is that we are not the point. I know that this can be a temptation for all of us, especially because we live in such an individualistic society but this is very important.

We are not the point, Jesus is. Jesus is the point of the gospel. He is the one we are introducing people to. Why? Because they are stuck in darkness and brokenness, but Christ came that they may have light, life, and a purpose. And this light is the knowledge of Christ.

Don’t give up on the mission. Pastor Mike mentioned last week that he would be leaving soon. We may go through some challenges as a church when that happens. Remember Paul’s words, “We do not lose heart.” Do not lose heart. Remember what we are here to do. We are here to be a beacon of light on the Westside of Jacksonville. Remember the mission centered around the glorious gospel of Christ.

And remember that our power… our strength to keep going comes directly from the gospel that saved us. And this is the second thing in your notes this morning,

God Works Through Weakness (7-12)

Verse 7,

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure

What treasure do we have? It’s the gospel that gave us life. He says, “We have this treasure...”

in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

He calls us jars of clay. Back in the 1940s, over near Qumran in the Middle East, there were bedouin shepherds out tending to their flock. One of these shepherds threw a rock into a cave and when he did that, he heard a crash. Like the sound of pottery breaking.

Curious, the shepherd went into this cave and what he discovered there was the most important discovery in Biblical Archeology. What they discovered around that area in different caves were these Jars containing what we know as the Dead Sea Scrolls. And this discovery gave us our oldest manuscripts of the 39 books of the Old Testament. Roughly 900 scrolls containing books of our Old Testament that predates the incarnation of Christ. Its incredible.

Something so priceless was found in these common clay pots. This is exactly what Paul is saying here in verse 7. We are nothing but weak, frail, clay pots. But we contain something that is priceless. The gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is in this gospel that we find the strength to persevere when things get hard.

This is how God designed it, so that — as Paul says — God’s power can be displayed through our weakness. The gospel is the most precious treasure and it is worth suffering for. Paul goes on to talk about this in the next verse. He says,

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”

Paul experienced suffering for the sake of the gospel. In fact, turn with me just a few pages to your right to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Look at how he describes it starting in verse 23,

2 Corinthians 11:23–28 “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

Paul was beaten numerous times by different groups of people, he was ship wrecked… He experienced danger on every side. He was anxious for the different churches he was planting and serving because they were being attacked by bad theology and heretics. The ministry of the gospel was his life and he saw his suffering as opportunity to display the power of God through his weakness.

Paul’s life was filled with suffering but not suffering without hope.

He didn’t give up—because he knew that his suffering put the power of God on display.

Remember what he said in chapter 4 verse 10. He says,

“Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” (v. 10)

All of us experience hardship, suffering, tribulations. We may not experience persecution like our brothers and sisters around the world but if we are living on mission as ministers of the New Covenant, we will experience trials and opposition.

When you suffer, when you're weak, when you're stretched to the edge—that’s when Jesus shows up most clearly in your life. His life is made visible in your weakness.

Application

So what about you? Maybe you feel like a cracked jar—barely holding together. Maybe you feel tired, anxious, worn down, or spiritually dry. Maybe you’ve wondered, “How can God use someone like me?”

Paul’s answer: You’re exactly the kind of person God uses. God designed it this way. He gets the glory when weak people carry a strong message.

You may not face persecution like Paul—but if you’re faithful to Jesus, you’ll face pressure. Maybe from the culture, maybe from your workplace, maybe from people who just don’t understand your faith.

But don’t let your weakness make you quit—let it make you lean on God’s strength all the more! Let him work through your obedience!

So far, Paul has shown us that we’re called by God’s mercy, and sustained by God’s power—even in weakness. But there’s one more piece we need if we’re going to endure: we need to fix our eyes on eternity.That’s where he takes us in verses 13–18.

Point number 3 in your notes,

Fix Your Eyes on Eternity (13-18)

To endure in this ministry of the New Covenant, we must keep our eyes on eternity. Paul wants us to lift our gaze—off of the pain, off of the pressure, and onto eternity.

We must always have eternity in view. We must keep our eyes on the goal. Paul says in verse 14,

2 Corinthians 4:14 “knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”

This is the good news, if you are a believer in Jesus, you will spend eternity with him. You are going to heaven! Isn’t that great news?? No amount of trials or persecution or suffering can change that. When you are his, you are his until the end.

If you understand that, you can do anything. Because if you do not fear death, what can man do to you? Honestly, if death means that we will be with Christ then there is nothing to fear! No amount of criticism from the world or even physical harm should scare you! Why? Because in the end, we will be with Christ!

This is the great hope of the Christian life: resurrection. New bodies. No more sin. No more suffering. Eternity with Jesus and with each other. When we stand in God’s presence, everything we’ve suffered will seem light compared to the weight of glory we receive.

Do you remember when we read Paul’s list of all of the things that he went through? In verse 17, Paul calls all of those things “light momentary afflictions.” How can he do that? How can he looks at being beatened and stoned and shipwrecked as “light momentary afflictions?” Its because his focus is on eternity. His eyes are on the goal.

There is nothing that you can go through in this life that can compare to the future glories that we will experience when we are finally in the presence of Jesus.

Paul says in his letter to the Romans:

English Standard Version Chapter 8

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Let that be the anchor of your soul. Suffering now, glory later. Listen, there will come a day when the Lord Jesus will return to make all things new. He will right all of the wrongs. He will punish the wicked and corrupt rulers of the world. Look forward to that day. And while you are looking forward to that day, work hard to see disciples made. This is the point of this church. That many disciples will be made. If we aren’t doing that, we’ve lost our purpose. Look forward to that day.

And if the Lord tarries and you die in Christ, just know that you will stand face to face with him that day and he will reward you for your faithfulness through your suffering.

There is nothing you can go through in this life—no pain, no loss, no fear—that can compare to the glory that is coming when we finally see Jesus face to face.

CONCLUSION/INVITATION

As we come to our close, let me ask you this today:

Are you tempted to give up?

Have the pressures of life—or the changes ahead—left you feeling like quitting? If not, be prepared that this temptation may come up later.

Maybe you’re here this morning and you feel like a jar of clay—cracked, tired, and worn thin. Maybe you're overwhelmed by weakness or fear of what’s next.

Listen to what God says to you through this chapter: Don’t give up. God is not done with you. Your weakness is not a liability—it’s the very stage where His power is displayed. And your suffering is not wasted—it’s producing in you an eternal weight of glory.

Fix your eyes on eternity. Renew your hope in Christ today. He is worth it.

But maybe you’re here and, if you’re honest, you’re not sure where you stand with Jesus. The promise of resurrection and eternal glory only belongs to those who belong to Christ. If you have not put your faith in Jesus — if you never turned from your sin and trusted in Him as your Lord and Savior — then hear me:

There is a greater suffering than anything Paul went through. Eternal separation from God.

The gospel is this: Jesus suffered that separation in your place so that you don’t have to. All of us were born in sin and are deserving of wrath. And all of us are heading toward wrath and condemnation. To be in the presence of God, you have to be perfectly righteous.

This is why the gospel is good news: God loved you so much that he sent his Son to live a perfect, righteous live on your behalf. But not only that but Christ died the death you deserved to pay the penalty for your sin.

All you need to do is repent of your sin and confess that Christ is Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved. And when you place your faith in Christ, you are given his righteousness.

Probably my favorite verse in the Bible is just a page over from where we were today. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says,

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

So come to him today. I’m going to ask Clay to lead us in one more song. We will have two of our elders stand up here with me during this time. If you need prayer, if you have questions about following Jesus, we are here.

Let’s pray