Our text this morning is found in the second
epistle to the Corinthian church, chapter 4,
and we'll begin at verse 14 and look down through
verse 18. The apostle Paul is writing to this
church there in Corinth and he says, knowing,
this is confidence here, knowing that he who
raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up
with Jesus and will present us with you. That
is before his Father. Therefore, because of that,
because we know that, we don't lose heart. Even
though our outward man is perishing, and it is,
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
For our light, Which is but for a moment is working
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory. While we do not look at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen. For the things which are seen are temporary,
they're transient, they're passing away. But
the things which are not seen are eternal. Would
you join me in prayer asking God to help us this
morning? Father, I feel perhaps most weak when
called to stand behind this sacred desk and proclaim
the praises of the Son of God. Lord, I am certainly
not sufficient for this. Lord, I pray that you
would use my feeble words and your powerful word.
to effect change in the lives of those who have
gathered. Oh, Father, may our perspective be
changed. Lord, fill us with hope and rejoicing
this morning as we contemplate life in light
of the empty tomb. God, would you bring comfort
to those who are hurting, conviction to those
who are sinning, and salvation to those who are
lost. Open their eyes to see the glorious reality
of Christ Jesus, the only Savior and the only
mediator between God and man. Lord, would you
do this for your son's glory. We pray this in
his name. Amen. Through the years, Sandy and
I have done several remodeling projects around
the house. She will come to me with an idea and
she has a vision of what she wants done. And
inevitably, I don't get it. I do not understand.
See, my wife, she has this ability where she
can see the finished project before the project
even begins. She sees things in a way that I
cannot see. I'm always amazed. People can look
at a blueprint and they can actually, in their
mind, envision of what that's going to look like.
I am not one of those people. I think of, you
know, there's famous artists. Think of Michelangelo
with the Statue of David. If that were me, I
would go and I would just see a big block of
marble. Michelangelo looks at it and he sees
this artistic masterpiece. I actually marvel
at Mount Rushmore. Think of all those who work
there. Again, if I'm one of them, I'm standing
there and I see a large granite mountain. But
not them. They see the end from the beginning.
They can see the faces of Washington, Jefferson,
Roosevelt, and Lincoln. And this morning there's
a spiritual parallel to that as well. Through
the scriptures, there were men and women who
also had an ability to see what others could
not see. I think of Abraham. Abraham, it said,
he saw the city that was built by God. And because
he could see that city, it motivated him. Inevitably,
he left his father's house, he left his lands,
he left the pagan gods, and he followed the one
true living God, Moses. Raised in Pharaoh's house.
Raised as a grandson of Pharaoh. But he forsook
the pleasures that Egypt offered. And it says
he did not fear Pharaoh's wrath because he was
able to see him who was invisible. That's the
line. Moses saw what cannot be seen. He saw the
invisible. Elisha. Remember there as he's standing
and vastly outnumbered. And yet his eyes were
opened and he saw the army of angels on the mountain
who had come to help them. Each of these men
saw spiritual realities that others were not
privy or could not see. Each of them walked by
faith. They trusted in God's promises. And in
our text this morning, there's another man. It's
the Apostle Paul. He also had this keen spiritual
sight. He could see what others did not see.
But he calls us, by the Spirit of God, to do
the same today. Now, to me, if I'm looking at
this, when I'm studying for this, I'm like, it
sounds ironic. And if you're here for the first
time, maybe your first time in church, it might
even sound a little bit crazy. We're called to
see what cannot be seen. I mean, that sounds
like a lot of spiritual mumbo -jumbo, right?
No. We're called to see through the eyes of faith.
See, Paul knew something. Paul started in verse
14. He said, we know, we see that Jesus Christ
has been raised from the dead. And that changed
his perspective. He now looked at life through
the lens of an empty tomb. And this is so helpful
for us this morning. Because many of you have
gone through seasons where you felt as though
your life were unraveling. You felt it deep in
your soul. A severe trial or trials ended your
life. And I took away everything that was comfortable,
everything that was familiar, everything that
was secure. And in those dark times, it is so
very easy to think that your life is defined
by what is right in front of you. That's all
you can see because it's so current and it's
so pressing and it's so hard. So in that season,
what you see, you see pain, you feel the suffering,
and you sense the loss. And yet the living God
calls you to set your gaze elsewhere. He tells
you to look at what you cannot see. As we consider
the Apostle Paul and his life, it was difficult
to say the least. It was not a charmed life.
In fact, from an earthly perspective, the Apostle
Paul looked like a life of defeat and one of
loss. Yet in the midst of extreme suffering,
he said in verse 16, we do not lose heart. We
don't get discouraged. We don't give up. Look
at verses 8 through 10, if you will. I think
they're on the wall behind me. Maybe they're
not. Paul wrote, We are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed. We're perplexed, but not driven
to despair. We are persecuted, but not forsaken.
Struck down, but not destroyed. And notice verse
10. Always carrying in the body the death of
Jesus. He has a death sentence upon him. Now
how in the world is a man like that not discouraged?
He's afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck
down, carrying a death sentence in his own body.
And he says, hey, we don't lose heart. Hey, we
don't get discouraged. How? Paul knew something.
He knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead.
And friends, that changed everything for him.
Because he knew something. He knew that life,
this life, this age is not all there is. There
is a life to come. In spite of all the affliction
that he was enduring, he knew God was going to
resurrect him one day to life eternal. So let's
look at this verse by verse. Let's go back. Look
at verse 14, if you will, with me. Knowing that
he who raised up the Lord Jesus, so there's Christ's
resurrection, will also raise us up with Jesus
and will present us with you. It's a Greek word,
ido. And it literally means to see, but it's
the idea of seeing certainly. It's to have knowledge
of. This is a bedrock confidence, if you will.
So Paul's confidence, it's not an optimism. It's
a confidence that was grounded in the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. He knew that tomb was empty.
He knew Jesus had been raised from the dead.
And since he knew that, he also knew that everyone
who belongs to Jesus, everyone who's in union
with Christ, will also experience a grand resurrection.
That means there is a life to come, and you can't
currently see it. It's invisible to the physical
eye. But friends, it is your eternal reality,
and we want to look at that. See, the resurrection
will also cause you and I to look at life through
a different prism. And it's through that prism
of an empty tomb. Because if the tomb were not
empty, and this life right now, what's in front
of us, is all that we had, we would seek to get
from this life all that we could. That's what
would make sense. That's what the culture does.
Paul said that in 1 Corinthians 15. He said,
if the dead do not rise, there's no resurrection,
there's no age to come. Well, let us eat and
drink, for tomorrow we die. Go out and get all
you can while you can get it. If the dead are
not raised and this life is all there is, you
better maximize it. But Christ is risen, and
that changes everything. First of all, it changes
how we even view our own mortality. Look at verse
16. Therefore we do not lose heart, even though...
Our outward man is perishing, yet the inward
man is being renewed day by day. Therefore. So
why is it therefore, therefore, right? Don't
lose heart. So don't get discouraged. Don't give
up. Don't quit. Why not? Going back to verse
14 because we know something. We know that the
same God who raised up Jesus is going to raise
us up one day. It is... precisely because of
the resurrection of Christ that you and I can
persevere in this life. Persevere in faith, not
getting discouraged, not abandoning Christ. So
here's what we're called to do. Do not quit trusting
God even in suffering because this life doesn't
have the final word. In suffering, there is a
great temptation to quit trusting the Lord. Because
why? There's sickness. And there's no answer.
There's failure. There's loss. There's tremendous
sorrow. And we're tempted to think, if serving
the Lord brings this, why serve him? Is this
all just a charade? Is it one big mirage? And
Paul says, no. Do not quit. Don't quit though
life is difficult, though trials are difficult.
They are not ultimate. Even though our outward
man is perishing, it's decaying. But the inward
man's not. David Garland writes this. He said,
death is chiseling away and breaking Paul down.
But it has no final power over him. It is for
this reason he's willing to speak boldly. And
it's for this reason he's willing to put himself
in danger every hour. The outer man is perishing.
Do we really need to elaborate on that? I came
to this church when I was 29 years old. Lord
willing, if he allows me, next Lord's Day, next
Sunday, I will be 51. I know, you don't have
to tell me. It's obvious the outer man is perishing.
I get it. I see it too. Trust me, there's a lot
more of me at 51 than there was at 29. But what
Paul said, our bodies are getting older, right?
They're perishing. The word literally means decaying.
Just wearing down. Getting older, and I know
for some I'm young. For no one I'm young, but
some I'm not that old. But getting older is a
series of losses. Loss of memory. Loss of strength.
Loss of mobility. Loss of muscle mass. You hear
of sarcopenia on the news all the time. Loss
of bone density. You hear of DEXA scans. Loss
of hair. Loss of eyesight. I'm wearing contacts
that I didn't wear 21 years ago. Hearing. My
wife told me I need to check it the other day.
And eventually, and I haven't gotten there, there's
a loss of teeth even, right? I mean, eventually.
Right now, wrinkles are appearing. If you do
have hair, it's probably turning gray or falling
out. Your joints are wearing down. This is all
that Paul was meaning. He said, your outer man
is just perishing. Are you encouraged yet? You
glad you came to Mamre on Easter Sunday? See,
our culture, it hates aging. And it fights against
it. It sees the gray head as a sign of mortality.
Ancient culture saw the gray head as a sign of
wisdom. But not us. So today we see many people
turn to cosmetic procedures. Why? They want to
stay looking young. Countless people use makeup
and dye their hair and anti -aging products.
They're wanting to make that outer man look younger,
but you can't stop the decay. All the cosmetic
procedures in the world cannot prevent death
from coming. They may make you look younger in
the coffin, but that is all they will do. You
see the idols of a culture. By what a culture
emphasizes. And our culture has many idols, but
one of them is this elusive dream of the fountain
of youth. I mean, just look at TV and look at
social media. They're full of advertisements.
Why? Trying to get you to chase that fountain
of youth. Eat this, drink this, take this pill,
do this exercise, and you will not get old. King
Solomon says, try that. Now go chase the wind.
That's what it is. It's chasing the wind. It's
an empty and futile pursuit. You're not going
to do it, friends. And I'm not saying don't exercise.
I'm not saying not to take care of your health.
But you're not going to stop the decaying process.
Paul told Timothy, he said, bodily exercise profits
a little. There is some profit. Let's not lie
about it. But it's not ultimate. Because godliness
is profitable for all things. Because notice
how he says this. He looks to the future. having
the promise of the life that now is and of that
which is to come. So go ahead, do whatever you
want to your body. It's still going to perish.
You are mortal and you will die. When I think
of the Apostle Paul, I'm sure if we would have
been able to see him physically, that man, even
though aged, he was probably well aged beyond
his years because of all the stress and all the
difficulties he had. He wrote about those in
seven chapters later in the same book of 2 Corinthians,
chapter 11. He said, Paul writing, he says, I
am in far greater labors, far more imprisonments,
countless beatings, often near death. Five times
I received at the hands of the Jews, the 40 lashes
less one. So he's beaten with 39 stripes, five
different times. Three times I was beaten with
rods. Once I was stoned, not to have something
different in that culture than ours. This means
literally people were throwing rocks at his head,
trying to kill him. Three times I was shipped.
A night and a day I was adrift at sea on frequent
journeys in danger from rivers, dangers from
robbers, danger from my own people, danger from
Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the
wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false
brothers. You get the point? In toil and hardship
through many a sleepless night, in hunger, 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. Charmed
life, right? This man had no rest wherever he
went. Sorrow and suffering abounded in his life.
And that was the cost of doing God's will. This
was God's will for him. But he said, I'm not
getting discouraged. I'm not quenching. I'm not
losing heart. Why not? Because I know that Jesus
Christ has been raised from the dead. And I know
he will also raise me one day to eternal life.
I am confident of that. See, this is why I think
of all the people on the planet, Christians of
all of them, can face hardship and adversity
and sorrow with joy and courage because we know
this life is not all there is. We know there
is a great reversal of fortune that is coming.
The kingdom of God will come in its fullness
and we will forever live with our king in eternal
bliss. So don't lose heart. Don't quit. The resurrection
of Christ gives us a new perspective on our own
mortality. The outer man's perishing, but the
second person, the inward man, is being renewed
day by day. The inward man, that's your soul.
It's not decaying. It's getting better. It's
being renovated. So the outer man looks less
glorious each day, but the inner man grows more
glorious each day. So God is doing this. big
remodeling project inside of you. But here's
the part I don't like. What tools does God use
to accomplish that remodeling project? Suffering.
Suffering. The very trials that you want God
to take away are the tools he's using to make
you look more like Jesus. Linsky, in his commentary,
says, Paul can watch the destruction of the outer
man. Now, I've not arrived there. Not perfect
calmness. What if his enemies hasten the process?
Yay, bring it to a sudden end by means of a violent
death. Big deal. So what? He loses nothing. The
inner man blossoms into new youth and beauty
and strength day by day. This inner renewal,
it's not hindered, but only helped by the tribulation.
That assails the outer man. The trials actually
serve the purpose of renovating the inner man.
And what he calls these bloody roses. They have
the sweetest odor. Friends, let me say this.
Because of Christ's resurrection, your suffering
is not meaningless. God is using it to make you
fit for heaven. See, we do live in a world that's
still cursed by God, so that means suffering
is going to abound and death is inevitable. The
writer of Hebrews tells us, it is appointed unto
men once to die, and after this comes judgment.
It's going to happen. But because of Christ's
glorious resurrection, death doesn't have the
final word. And we need an anchor. And it's the
resurrection of Christ that anchors us, and it
gives life meaning, even in the midst of tremendous
loss. Suffering has a way of reprioritizing your
life. I can promise you this, what once seemed
so important, no longer does. Instead, there's
a sharper focus on what is truly important. You
know, I think that's why they say, with time
or with age comes wisdom. It's not that age gives
you wisdom, it's just the older you get, the
more you suffer, and suffering brings that perspective.
Now notice Paul's change of perspective in verse
17. For our light affliction, which is but for
a moment, is working, the affliction's working
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory. I love this. Light affliction. The
word light means easy. It's easy to carry. It's
light. It doesn't weigh much. Now recall what
Paul endured. Recall what we just read. There
were beatings. He was stoned. He was shipwrecked.
He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was left for
dead. Easy? Light? Now Paul never said that his
suffering was trivial. It's not trivial. He said
it's comparatively light when I compare that
to the weight of glory in eternity. Sam Storms,
in his article I read this week, I loved what
he wrote. God is not asking you to treat pain
as though it were pleasure. Let's not kid ourselves.
Pain hurts. Suffering's real. He's not asking
you to treat grief as though it were joy. It's
not. Life is hard. but bringing all earthly adversity
into comparison with heavenly glory, and thereby
you are strengthened to endure. See, through
faith, the Apostle Paul, he could see the difference
between what he was currently experiencing and
what awaited him in the next age. Romans 8, Paul
said, For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy, To be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us. He knew
suffering is temporary. Suffering is only in
this age. That's it. And this is how he could
see his affliction as light. This is how he knew
it was easy to bear. See, the pain is real, but
it's temporary. The glory is eternal. I believe
personally that you can go through a lot. You
can endure a lot of pain if you know that it
is only temporary. I really do. I see that with
people because they have hope. It's going to
end one day. Jim Elliot, he was the American
missionary and he was actually martyred by the
Aka people in Ecuador. He famously wrote in his
journal, and probably most of you have heard
the quote and know it. He wrote, he is no fool
who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which
he cannot lose. Jim Elliot knew that to live
your life only for this age is a fool's errand
because this life will end. So he willingly endured
suffering knowing that eternity holds no suffering.
Friends, let me just say, if you're here today
and you're young, this means you don't have to
milk this life for all it's worth. Christ is
risen. There's a much better age to come. And
this is how we see our affliction as light. But
you better know something. When you're being
afflicted, you need to know your affliction is
working for us. And it says it's working a far
more exceeding eternal weight of glory. But I
want you to notice what Paul said. Look at subject,
look at verb. What is working? The affliction.
It's working, it's producing, and what's the
effect? Glory. That means your present suffering,
as hard as it may be, It's the building blocks
of your future glory. What a different perspective
we would have on trials if we could only see
what the Lord is doing through those trials.
I know that to be true. So that means, believer,
your pain, it seems it has no purpose. It's not
wasted. From affliction comes glory. Just as
from death comes resurrection. Now this is where
it gets good. This eternal glory. Look at this
word. It's one word in Greek. Far more exceeding.
And in Greek, you'll see the English word immediately.
It's hyperbole. Hyperbole. Which means beyond
all measure. Now you see the English word immediately.
This is where we get our word hyperbole from.
So notice what Paul is saying. Our future glory
with Christ is beyond comparison. It is impossible
to exaggerate. The glory that those who belong
to Christ is so massive, so expansive, it can't
be measured, it can't be quantified. You can't
even begin to imagine it. In fact, it's impossible
to exaggerate how good it is. You can't overstate
it. It's beyond all measure. Paul, writing about
this, he says, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard.
It's not even entered into the heart of man.
The things which God has prepared for those who
love him. Our eternity, the age to come, will
be far better than you can possibly imagine in
your wildest dreams. As good as you think it
is, it'll be that much better. Now I think of
resort brochures when I'm thinking of this. Because
we like to go on vacation, you get a brochure,
and it always looks so good, and they have the
best pictures. But when you get there, it's never
quite as good as it's pictured. There's always
a little twinge of disappointment. But Paul says,
listen, the glory that awaits the Christian is
so great, so magnificent, it's impossible to
disappoint you. You're going to be overwhelmed
one second in the glory of what God has done.
Philip Hughes says, Affliction for Jesus' sake,
however crushing it may seem, is in fact light,
a weightless trifle when weighed against the
mass of that glory. Hallelujah. Because Christ
is risen, all our suffering, all our heartache,
all our sorrow, it is a distant memory when you
enter into glory. It's gone. Your future, it's
bright. It's eternal happiness. And I love this
because you will be home with Christ. You'll
be with him. You're saying, but pastor, right
now my suffering seems longer than a moment.
I know. I know. Which is why Paul says, compare
it to eternity. In light of eternity, it's a
blip on the radar screen. You need eyes of faith.
You must see with certainty. And look at that
final verse, verse 18. While we do not look at
the things which are seen. What? I mean, where
else do you look? But at the things which are
not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary,
but the things which are not seen, they're eternal.
Paul is not making a distinction between physical
or between material and immaterial, or physical
and spiritual. That's not what he's doing here.
God created the physical universe. It's good.
Our bodies are good. In fact, we're going to
live forever on a new earth in new glorified
bodies. So it's not against physical. Paul is
making a distinction between this current age
of sin and suffering. and the age to come of
glory and no suffering. So all that belongs to
this current age, the one in which we currently
live, it is temporary. Now listen, folks, and
listen, young people. That means the house, the
car, all your possessions, they're temporary.
So don't get too attached to them. That's why
it is so foolish to seek meaning in those things
because they're all going to be gone one day.
Peter says they'll be burnt up. Jesus said this,
for what will profit a man? What profit is there
if he gains this whole world and loses his own
soul? Let me answer that. There is no profit
in that. Or what will man give in exchange for
a soul? One minute in hell, you'd give up everything
you've ever owned. See, the mantra of our age,
this godless age in which we live, it is hedonism
and consumerism. Make as much money as you can.
Seek as much pleasure as you can while you can.
But the resurrection of Christ exposes that as
a lie. It shows us that. Paul said, no, don't
look at what you can see. Well, where do you
want me to look, Paul? Look at what can't be
seen. This age is temporary. The age of come,
which is full of exceeding glory, it's eternal.
Therefore, friends, fix your gaze there. Philippians
3, Paul wrote this. For our citizenship is in
heaven. Also, we eagerly wait for the Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. What's he going to do?
Who will transform our lowly body, that decaying
body, that it may be conformed to his glorious
body? You are a citizen of heaven. So why don't
you keep your focus where your true life and
true citizenship is found? You're saying, but
how do I know that I'm a citizen of heaven? Because
Christ died and rose again. That's the assurance.
We're almost finished. Kent Hughes said this.
Paul's hope was set in the future resurrection.
For him, the grave was empty. The certitude of
the resurrection was inevitable and compelling.
It determined the way he lived. Because of it,
because he knew Christ had been raised, he bore
in his own body the dying of the Lord Jesus and
lived as a slave to others, and he willingly,
voluntarily, died daily. Paul. could hear the
far -off song of eternal doxology from every
tongue and every tribe. Paul's logic is on fire
here. He said, this age is passing away, so don't
be a fool and set your hope here. Jesus, the
Lord, said the very same thing. Do not lay up
for yourselves treasures on earth where moss
and rough... destroy, where thieves break in
and steal. Okay, don't lay them up in this age,
but rather lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven. Why? Because there's neither moth nor
rust. Nothing destroys, nothing corrodes, nothing
decays, and there's no thief there. No one's
going to break in and steal what you have. I
love this. The Apostle Paul had no interest in
making a name for himself or amassing the fortunes
of this world. Instead, he chose to live sacrificially.
How? Because he knew this world is passing away
in the lust thereof. He knew it. But he who does
the will of the Lord abides forever. Far too
many people, far too many people spend far too
much of their time and energy on earthly pursuits
that will one day pass away. The Bible calls
that foolish. It's acting like a fool. Hear the
words of wisdom, friends. Christ Jesus is risen.
And that changes everything. So I close with
this. Where is your hope? And I mean to answer
this truly, just in your heart of hearts. Is
it in this age or is it in the age to come? In
this age, everything's passing away. But there's
a truth that you can anchor your life to. Christ
rose from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ died
for our sins. He rose again, defeating death,
and he has brought eternal life to all who trust
in him. Scriptures are clear. There's a future
day of judgment coming for all men. And the only
one who can offer any hope on that day is the
one who conquered the grave. So here's the final
question. In what or in whom? which is the better
question, will you place your trust? Friends,
Christ is risen, and that changes everything.
Let's go to the table and commune with our risen
Lord, praising God for what he's done for us
in his son. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father,
thank you, Lord, for your glorious word and the
power it has to inform us, to instruct us, to
give us light and wisdom. Lord, I pray, God,
that you might use this short time that has been
given to us here at this church, Lord, to see
beyond the curtain. Lord, God, you would give
us eyes to see what can't be seen. Awake us from
our stupor that we would put all our hope and
all our time and all our energy into this life.
It's a bud of vapor. It appears for a moment
and passes away. Father, I pray you'd give us
eyes to see what can't be seen. There's a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that
awaits those who are united to your son. He's
the firstfruits, and after him comes all those
who belong to him. Father, I pray that you would
save the lost this morning, Lord. No doubt in
this congregation there are some who are lost,
Lord, who are under the wrath and condemnation
of God because they have not bowed the knee to
your son. Lord, I pray you'd reveal to them their
sin and reveal to them your son, the Savior.
Father, I pray that you'd wake up some who are
carnal. They're living and just are living, Lord,
not just sinful, but they're living, Lord, foolishly,
Lord, putting all their eggs in this one basket
called now. God, help them to see. Lord, I pray
for those who are suffering. Lord, I pray that
they would have eyes of faith to see beyond their
suffering and that it's building for them glory
in the next stage. God, comfort them. Let them
see the risen Christ. And Father, I pray that
they would find peace in the resurrection of
your son. He is glorious, Lord. Thank you for
giving us Christ. Thank you for your son. Help
us now, Lord, as we go to the table of the Lord
to commune with him, we pray in Jesus' mighty
name. Amen.