2ND COR. 4: 16-18 GROWING OLD 2ND COR. 4:16 ----but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18While 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.
Let us be aware that growing old is a blessing not something to frown upon. And let me say that if you want to cut your life short just treat your parents disrespectfully. EPH. 6:2Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
---Exo. 20:12
And if a person would receive Jesus early in life they would have a happier and fuller life.
You and I need to see the unseen (the hope of the resurrection; -the joy of the presence of God; -the expectation of Christ’s judgment).
We need to have an eternal perspective. One day all who are saved will receive a glorified body at the rapture of the church, many folks are in poor health at this time, but if we’re saved its only temporary, soon we’ll have a glorified body like the Lords.
1st JN. 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
So lets stop thinking so much about our present body and start longing for our new body, and lets stop living as if this life is all there is and start realizing the presence of the Lord.
Have you ever noticed that brunets want to be blondes, blondes want to be brunets?
Some People have a face-lift, a tummy tuck, cosmetic dentistry, their not always happy about the way they look.
I remember Brother Billy Mitchell telling one time in his message about a man asking him if we were going to look like this after the rapture? And Brother Mitchell said he ask the man, “ you don’t want to look like that do you?
I suppose this old human nature dwells mostly on the temporal things than on things that will last forever.
When we think about life after death (eternity), do we see ourselves in the presence of God? _- Are we living by faith? - Are you certain your saved?
It’s easy to feel like giving up. It’s easy to be discouraged, disillusioned, depressed, and disappointed. The reason why it’s easy to lose heart in this life is because we face so many troubles.
Each stage of life has its own set of troubles. The troubles that seniors experience, as they see themselves getting older, include loneliness, sickness, failing eyesight and hearing, vulnerability, etc.
Paul says in so many words in our text, “Outwardly we are wasting away.” -but though our outward man perish, Our outward man/bodies are perishing .
Seniors know this better than anyone. But that’s reality for all of us, not just seniors. Today, we are one day closer to dying than we were yesterday. That’s a sobering thought.
Consider the problems Paul was experiencing: 2nd cor. 4:8-9 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Paul did not dwell on his present problems; he looked ahead to the fulfillment of God’s promises. In other words, Paul had an eternal perspective.
This is why Paul could describe his troubles as “17 our light affliction, which is but for a moment ”
This is why he could say in Romans 8:18, 18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Though his problems were real and intense, his problems did not overcome him.
Instead, he says, we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:
Why did he do this? Because, for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
“The things we see now are here today, & gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever”
The unseen things are what count because they are eternal. They last forever. The seen things, the things of this life, do not. They are temporary.
But to see what is unseen is impossible. How can we fix our eyes on what is unseen? Hebrews 11:1 says, 1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Seeing the unseen requires the eye of faith. Seeing the unseen requires believing the promises of God concerning our future. Seeing the unseen requires being certain that God will do for you what He has said He will do.
A lot of elderly folks like to talk about “the good old days.” They like to tell stories of the past. And they like to repeat them over and over and over again.
But those good old days are nothing compared to the future God has in store for us.
What do you think will happen when we “fix our eyes” on what is unseen?
1. We’ll stop thinking about our present body and start longing for our new body.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be concerned about these bodies we’re now in. Certainly we should practice healthy habits. We should eat right get regular exercise, etc.
But remember, No matter how much we exercise or how healthy we eat, our bodies are still only temporary. Our bodies will still die one day.
Heb. 9:27--- it is appointed unto men once to die
Some people try to find happiness by striving to have the perfect body in this life, and for most of us, that seems to be hopelessly out of reach, and we become discouraged about the appearance or condition of our bodies.
Paul writes in 2nd cor.5:1-2 1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
The phrase “we know” is one of certainty. We don’t have to wonder what lies on the other side of death. God has told us all we need to know in the pages of His Word.
A tent is a temporary dwelling place; a building is permanent. One day our tents will be “taken down”; the bodies our spirits live in will be “destroyed.”
Paul called his death a “departure” (2 Tim. 4:6 6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.).
Death is not the end; it’s only the beginning. Our spirits go from one place (earth) to another (heaven, for believers). ****
I’m sure Paul didn’t neglect his earthly body, but he was much more interested in his future body.
2nd cor. 5: 1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
The people of God can be found in one of two places: either in heaven or on earth.
None of them is in the grave, or in hell, or in any “intermediate place” between earth and heaven.
Believers on earth are “at home in the body,” while believers in heaven are “away from the body” (waiting for the resurrection).
Believers on earth are “away from the Lord,” while believers in heaven are “at home with the Lord.” Life in this world is not the believer’s final reality. It must be seen for what it is, namely, being “away from the Lord.”
Paul talks about this in Philippians 1:21-24: 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
Listen; when you think about heaven, what is it that mostly gets you excited? Is it to live in your mansion in the sky? To be reunited with a loved one? To be free from the problems of this life?
Well all of these wonderful things will certainly be part of going to heaven, but the part of heaven that we should get most excited about is living eternally in the full presence of God.
Think about the questions people often ask about heaven. What will it look like? What will we do there? Will my loved ones know me?
It seems that we want heaven to be an improved version of our life on earth.
We know in our heads that heaven awaits and that it’s so much better than anything we can experience now, but often we live as if this life is all there is.
Can you say with Paul, “We…would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” Are you living by sight instead of by faith? Are you living as if this life is all there is, or do you looking forward to the Lord’s presence?
For Paul, heaven was not simply a destination, He knew that in heaven he would stand before Christ, and he wanted to hear Christ’s approval.
Remember what Paul said back in 2nd cor. 4:16:- but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
A wonderful renewal will take place when we fix our eyes on what is unseen.
We will be renewed emotionally. When we have this new perspective, this eternal perspective, we will see the problems of today as insignificant and temporary (“light and momentary”) compared to the glory that awaits us in eternity.
We can endure a lot if we’ll keep in mind that the best is just ahead.
• Ten, you’ve got too much room in the house and not enough room in the medicine cabinet.
• Nine, your little black book contains only names ending in M.D.
• Eight, you know all the answers, but nobody asks you the questions.
• Seven, your children begin to look middle-aged.
• Six, your favorite part of the newspaper is “Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.”
• Five, you sink your teeth into a steak, and they stay there.
• Four, you look forward to a dull evening at home.
• Three, your back goes out more than you do.
• Two, the little gray-haired lady you help across the street is your wife.
• One, you sit in a rocking chair and can’t get it going.
