Examine Yourself to See if You Are in the Faith “We do not lose heart” 2 Corinthians 4

Examine Yourself to See if You Are in the Faith

“We do not lose heart”

2 Corinthians 4

We do not lose heart because there is an inward work renewing us daily

Trouble is a daily occurrence

                                            “Take up your cross daily”      

“Take no thought for tomorrow for there is enough trouble for today”

We do not lose heart because we see we are eternal beings

What is the span of your life in light of eternity?

Our troubles are “momentary”

“And this too shall pass”

Why do we not lose heart?

Because of what we see

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen

When the believer hears or sees trouble they do not say, “OH NO”

They in prayer say, “Oh God”

When we look to Him we see God is bigger than our hearts

 “We do not lose heart”

2 Corinthians 4

When is the last time you got bad news?

How long did you go between bad news?

Does bad news overwhelm you?

I was 19 years old, just married

filled with the Spirit of God.

I was full of faith ready to

conquer the world for Christ.

I believed every problem had a miracle.

As Jesus spoke to the wind and the

waves, the storm became calm.

I would speak to every problem in Jesus’

name and it too would become calm.

I believed people would come to know Christ

because of all the miracles I did in Jesus’ Name.

I believed people would come to Christ because

they would see my life was blessed beyond theirs.

My life would be an example of God’s glory.

I remember my first great challenge…

 I believed God told me I would have a son.

I believed when Sandy went into labor

we would go to the hospital and the nurses

and doctor would be amazed at how perfect

and easy the birth would be…

 And they would ask me how to be

saved because my life was so easy.

As Sandy’s labor went on for hours and hours.

I watched her pain.

I heard her cry out, “Where is God?”

I was losing heart.

I could not let Sandy know her strong husband

was literally looking under the bed to find God.

How could God have left me?

The doctor came in after more than 24 hours of labor

with alcohol on his breath and said some very disturbing

words and had I not been so overwhelmed and drained,

I would have jacked his jaw with a right hand fist.

Finally, they took Sandy into delivery and when

they came back I was told my boy was a girl.

I do not know what kept me on my feet.

Everything I believed about my life being

an example of God’s riches and health and

a miracle with just speaking the words in

“Jesus’ name” were stripped from me, I lost heart.

Don’t get me wrong…

I was thrilled to have a

daughter and I love her deeply.

But I had felt God spoke to me that we

would have a boy; did I hear wrong?

I now look back over the last 40 some years

of my life and see things have not turned

out the way I thought they should.

Over those years many bad things have happened.

It seems as if every year has its bad.

As I look at the last week,

and even the last 24 hours,

 they are darkened with bad things.

Darkened with trouble.

As I lost heart those many years ago,

 over the years God filled it.

Not with more faith to move mountains…

But with more love and compassion.

I still pray for miracles of healing for the sick.

Still pray for my business to prosper

so I can be a giver not a receiver.

My faith has changed, it is maturing.

I realize every follower of Christ will have trouble.

Even Jesus’s life was full of trouble.

Paul starts 2 Corinthians 4 with...

 “We do not lose heart”

Paul also ends with these same words.

We are wasting away.

 Look at your first Facebook picture and look today.

We are getting older.

 

With getting older, we see how much we

have gained, as we see how much we are losing.

It is not just my troubles that causes my heart to sink…

 It is the trouble of my children and grand-

children and the trouble of the friends

I have gained all over the world.

Paul describes a life of trouble in 2 Corinthians 4.

Our troubles are not masked by clever words.

Our troubles do not leave us in the dark.

We have a Light that shines in darkness.

Though we are venerable, like a jar of clay,

God’s power is at work in us. 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;

 perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted,

but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Trouble or death is working in us.

 We don’t escape it because we are Christians.

Christ is in our lives giving us peace

instead of an overwhelmed heart.

It is the resurrection of Christ from

the dead that keeps us free from being

overwhelmed with the greatest enemy, death.

This is why Paul says that even when death is

at work in us, it is so others might be saved.

 So then, death is at work in us,

but life is at work in you.

  

How we handle trouble makes

a difference in the lives of others.

Paul concludes and tells us why we do not

lose heart even though we have trouble…

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are

achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We do not lose heart because there is

an inward work renewing us daily.

Trouble is a daily occurrence.

                                                            “Take up your cross daily”

                                                     “Take no thought for tomorrow for

there is enough trouble for today”

We do not lose heart because

we see we are eternal beings.

What is the span of your life in light of eternity?

Our troubles are “momentary”…

“And this too shall pass.”

Why do we not lose heart?

Because of what we see…

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

When the believer hears or sees

trouble they do not say, “OH NO”.

They in prayer say, “Oh God”.

When we look to Him we see

God is bigger than our hearts.

And when we fill our hearts with God,

there is no room for our hearts to be overwhelmed.

Scripture Reading

2 Corinthians 4 NIV

4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.