Living by Faith

1.    Text - 2 Cor. 4:16-18

Living by Faith

So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17 We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles. 18 We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever. [1]

2.    Our Spirit is made New every day

3.    God puts His Treasure in Jars of Clay

a.       7 We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us. 8 We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed[2]

b.      Dead Sea Scrolls were in stored in Clay Pots for thousands of years

4.    Small Troubles for now

a.       Polar Express

                                                                                       i.      Boy goes through trials

                                                                                     ii.      Others sit in the train and are unaware of what’s going on

                                                                                    iii.      Boy gets involved in others lives, he was not just a spectator

                                                                                   iv.      Gains faith for a lifetime

1.       He always hears the bell

2.       Others stop hearing the bell

5.    Set our Eyes on what we can’t See

a.       Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the 1substance of things hoped for, the 2evidence aof things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

3 By faith we understand that bthe 3worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.[3]

b.      [2 Cor. 4:18; 5:7]; Heb. 11:7, 27

6.     

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[1] The Everyday Bible : New Century Version. Nashville, TN. : Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005, S. 2 Co 4:16-18

[2] The Everyday Bible : New Century Version. Nashville, TN. : Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005, S. 2 Co 4:7-9

1 realization

2 Or confidence

a Rom. 8:24; [2 Cor. 4:18; 5:7]; Heb. 11:7, 27

b Gen. 1:1; Ps. 33:6; [John 1:3]; 2 Pet. 3:5

3 Or ages, Gr. aiones, aeons

[3] The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Heb 11:1-3