Be Encouraged!

2 Corinthians 4 NASB95

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 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.

INTRO: Do you ever get discouraged? I guess it happens to us all- sometimes in our work or in our home, we feel like we are beating our heads against a wall. But discouragement can also come as Christians look out into a very dark, broken world.

Every year since I’ve been here, I’ve gone to the fair and shared the Gospel to anyone who would listen. I often get to pray with folks, but many of the people I talk with are uninterested in what I have to say. At times, it seems that it is useless to even try! Can you relate?

Well, consider the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the Corinthian church- some of these folks seemed hopeless! Further, consider all the times he would preach or give witness with the result being physical attacks against him. You might remember that Paul was imprisoned, beaten, accosted, and stoned just for sharing the Gospel. He was threatened by the religious elite, and traps awaited him at nearly every turn.

Under these circumstances, many of us would just throw our hands up and walk away. But that is not what we are called to do.

Jesus promised that we would face trials and abuse as we follow Him. This was certainly true in Paul’s life. Yet, he did not lose heart.

Allow me to paint a picture for you- Your life as a Christian is counter-culture. It’s upside-down from the way the world works or thinks. You’ve been trying to be faithful to obey Christ’s commands and even to try and be a witness and disciple-maker, but you don’t see nearly the progress that you think you should see.

You are tired. You barely have the energy to come to church, and even though you know the truth, you feel as though you are fighting a losing battle. It seems like Satan is winning. It seems like the church is dying. The fire in your soul is dampened. You find it difficult to pray. And with temptation is at every corner, You are weighing whether or not this is all worth it.

Today, as we continue our study of 2 Corinthians, I hope to encourage you as we live out the calling God has placed on our lives. To do that, we are going to look at why Paul was encouraged to carry on through his disappointments and discouragement.

So, if you picked up a bulletin, I invite you to follow along using the enclosed sermon guide as we explore 3 Reasons We Should Be Encouraged As We Live Out Our Gospel Witness. The message is simply titled, “Be Encouraged” so let us Be Encouraged together.

The first reason we should be encouraged is:

We Are Recipients of the Gospel, Not Merely Messengers Of It! (1-4)

This is easy to forget sometimes. We get so focused on our mission, that we lose sight of our identity. Let’s read the first 2 verses of ch. 4 again (READ v.1-2).

Paul tells the Corinthians that he does not lose heart in his mission because he is a product of the same mercy which he proclaims! Basically, Paul preached the Gospel to himself as much as he did to others!

This mission- this Gospel message which Paul proclaimed, which you and I proclaim - is an authentic and sincere message because it is authentic in our own lives!

ILL: Many of you know that I worked in the secular world before ministry. One area that I worked was hotel management. In this role, I had to work in basically every hotel position in order to prepare to manage a hotel. For a stint, I worked in sales. So, my job was to go to companies and convince them that they wanted/ needed to book rooms for their clients at my hotel.

But there was a problem- the hotel I was at was kinda run-down. The price was high and the rooms were small… I wouldn’t want to stay, but I was supposed to convince others that they should. Needless to say, that was not a strong area for me.

But, here’s the thing- as Christians, we are not “salespeople” trying to convince others of where they should give some of their money; We are individuals who are being transformed by the Gospel to be made more like Jesus, simply sharing that which is true of us already!

Paul explains that his encouragement comes from an authentic walk with Jesus (2). This is his identity, which explains the next couple verses. Let’s read verses 3-4 again (READ)

So, because Paul is living and proclaiming the authentic Gospel, he can be sure that his message is clear. If the message is obscure to anyone, it’s not because he is trying to hold back anything. Rather, it is because they are blinded by Satan.

When we are authentically living out the Gospel, as participants and preachers, we recognize that there are those who will not be able to grasp this good news. But, rather than be discouraged because we feel ineffective, we should commit to praying for God to open the eyes of these who are blinded by the god of this world. (Remember that the Gospel in Action brings clarity as the Holy Spirit moves!!)

Folks, you and I should be encouraged this morning because we have received the mercy of Christ that has called us from a life of sin and shame to a life of victory and glory! You and I should be encouraged because we are able to live authentic lives in Christ and can have confidence that we are not trying to sell something or hoodwink anyone. Rather, we are simply sharing the truth of our own life-changing story.

Be encouraged, for you are recipients of the Gospel, not merely messengers of it.

Discuss: Do you share the Gospel out of authenticity or compulsion? What is the difference?

The second reason you and I can be encouraged is:

We Are Not The Hope Of The World, JESUS IS! (5-12)

This just might be the greatest truth that you and I can grasp today.

Let me read v. 5-6 again (READ)

Here is the point Paul is making: He isn’t trying to impress people with who he is. He isn’t concerned about using fancy speech or being sure to dress up so that people will think highly of him. No, instead he is determined to preach Jesus Christ as Lord!

Look, It ain’t my job to be the hope of the lost! I cannot save or sanctify anyone and neither can you! Our whole goal in sharing the Gospel is to point them to the One who can!!

Verse 6 helps make this clear- Paul says that the same God who called light into the darkness at Creation shines in our hearts the glory of God through Christ! Jesus overcomes the darkness of sin and shame! Jesus paid the price!

Jesus! No other name than JESUS!

Acts 4:12 NASB95

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Look with me to v. 7- actually let me read that in the MSG translation:

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Chapter 4

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us

Do you see? We often put more pressure on ourselves that we can handle. But we are not the solution, Jesus is!

But let’s look at v. 8-12 (READ)

So long as we live in this broken world, we will face problems. Our lives will be a conundrum to those who see us from the outside- (READ v. 8-9)

We have this treasure that is found only in Christ! There is no reason for us to try and elevate our platform or our image- God calls me “son”! Jesus calls me friend! I’ve found the treasure that Jesus spoke of in

Matthew 13:44 NASB95

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Don’t you see, Christian brothers and sisters? You and I should be encouraged because we are recipients of the Gospel, not merely messengers. We should be encouraged because WE are not the hope that people need, JESUS IS! And oh how sweet to trust in Jesus!

Discuss: Read 1 John 4:4. How does your life reflect the treasure inside you?

The final reason Paul show us that we can be encouraged is:

The Unseen Is Greater Than The Seen! (13-18)

Paul recalls and joins in with the praise of the Psalmist as he brings us to this final point. Let’s read v. 13-18 again. (READ)

Here is the point Paul is making:

His encouragement is not in what things may look like now. Paul was facing scrutiny and persecution, but these were just temporary.

What could not be seen is the resurrection that is coming! That glorious day when Paul would stand before Jesus alongside those who heard through his testimony! (14)

What could not be seen are the countless lives committed to Jesus Christ.

What could not be seen (or heard) is the praise that would be offered to our King who is worthy (15)

From the outside, it’s a different story- it doesn’t look all that glorious.

Paul said “We look like death” --- You ever feel that way?!?

From the world’s perspective, we look like we have been defeated, but God’s mercies are new every morning! Compared to the eternal weight of glory, all that we face in trials and tribulations are “small potatoes”

Romans 8:38–39 NASB95

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Friends, I know that much of what we can see is depressing. Much of what we see - statistics about people walking away from their faith, people who are deceived by the world, our own limitations, etc.

BUT, what we cannot see is the power of God working through His Spirit.

We cannot see what kind of impact your faithfulness, your grace, your service will make upon those who right now are lost.

We cannot see how the trials of our life will produce glory, but God’s Word is true. His promises are sure.

When we are overwhelmed, we must remember that what lies ahead is worth it. That God is faithful- It is His strength that will see us through.

1 John 5:4 NASB95

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Church, as we live out our lives as authentic Christians, we have reason to be encouraged; Reason to press on.

We are recipients of the Gospel! All the pressure of our mission is on Jesus, not us for He is the hope of the world. And that which is unseen outweighs that which we can see.

Perhaps you have been discouraged and maybe even disengaged from the church or the mission because of that discouragement. Maybe you have just been going through the motions- sitting in your pew, fulfilling your obligations, but in your heart, you are cold.

This morning, I urge you to pick up the baton of your faith, and BE ENCOURAGED. Jesus is calling out to you saying,

Matthew 11:28 NASB95

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Who knows? It might just be that God will bring a revival to Little River and beyond as we rekindle our faith and march on!

[PRAY]

Discuss: What ‘unseen’ realities can you focus on this week?