Go! And See Beyond the Visible – Fix Your Eyes on the Eternal - 2 Corinthians 4:18
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT): “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
Introduction: Seeing Beyond the Visible
Have you ever stood at the edge of the sea on a cloudy day? The horizon seems to vanish. You see only the fog, the waves, and the wind—but you know the horizon is still there. You can’t see it, but it hasn’t disappeared.
That’s what Paul is teaching us here. In this world, the clouds of trouble, suffering, and distraction often obscure eternity. But the believer is called to see with the eyes of faith—to look beyond what is visible to what is eternal.
The Apostle Paul reminds us: “we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.” He doesn’t say “glance” or “occasionally look,” but fix—to focus, to anchor, to steady our vision. This is not passive observation; it is active faith.
Today as we open the Word, may the Holy Spirit lift our eyes beyond the temporary to the eternal.
1. The Context: Paul’s Perspective Amid Suffering
Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth—a church familiar with hardship, persecution, and spiritual distraction. He had just described being “pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT).
Paul had learned something that every believer must learn: the visible world is temporary; the invisible kingdom of God is eternal.
The Greek word translated “look” in verse 18 is “skopeo” (s??p??)—the root of our English words “scope” and “microscope.” It means to look intently, to scrutinise, to examine carefully.
Paul is urging us not to let our gaze rest upon the visible—on pain, problems, or possessions—but to look through them, to the unseen reality of God’s eternal glory.
Romans 8:18 (NLT): “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”
Paul isn’t denying suffering; he’s redefining it. Our present pain is real, but it is temporary—and it is outweighed by eternal glory.
John Piper once said, “Every moment of suffering you endure in faith is producing a glory beyond all comparison.”
And that’s the point: God wastes nothing. Every tear shed in faith becomes a jewel of glory in eternity.
2. The Eternal Versus the Temporary
In 2 Corinthians 4:18, Paul draws a sharp contrast between two worlds: the visible and the invisible, the temporary and the eternal.
The Greek word for “temporary” is “proskairos” (p??s?a????)—literally meaning “for a season” or “for a short while.” This same word appears in Matthew 13:21, where Jesus describes the seed that springs up quickly but withers away because it has no root.
Paul says: what you can see—the trials, the temptations, the triumphs—are temporary. But what you cannot see—God’s promises, heaven’s glory, the spiritual realities of Christ—is eternal.
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
Faith is not blind—it’s visionary. It sees what physical eyes cannot perceive. Faith is the spiritual telescope through which we behold eternity.
Max Lucado beautifully put it: “Faith is seeing the invisible, believing the incredible, and receiving the impossible.”
And so, the believer’s call is not to live by sight, but by faith—to look beyond what the natural eye perceives and trust in what God has promised.
3. The Invisible Reality: Jesus Christ, Our Eternal Hope
To understand what Paul means by fixing our gaze on the unseen, we must ask: what—or rather, who—is unseen?
The answer is Jesus.
Colossians 1:15–17 (NLT): “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see…”
Jesus reveals the unseen God. When we fix our gaze on Jesus, we see beyond the visible into the eternal heart of God.
The Greek for “image” here is “eikon” (e????)—from which we get “icon.” Christ is not merely like God; He is God made visible.
To fix our gaze on the unseen is to fix our eyes on Christ—the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Charles Stanley once said, “Our faith is strengthened when we fix our eyes on Jesus and trust that He is working even when we cannot see it.”
That’s the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:18—Christ Himself is the unseen reality sustaining us through what we see.
The Weaver’s Tapestry
There’s an old story about a weaver working on a loom. A visitor watched as the weaver passed threads of every colour—bright and dark—back and forth. From underneath, it looked chaotic, tangled, meaningless. But when the weaver turned the fabric around, a magnificent pattern appeared.
That’s our lives. From our earthly side, the threads look tangled and confusing. But one day, God will turn the tapestry over, and we will see the eternal beauty of His design.
4. The Temporary Suffering Produces Eternal Glory
Paul doesn’t call believers to ignore pain—he calls us to interpret it through eternity.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT): “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”
The Greek phrase “produce for us” is “katergazetai hemin” (?ate????eta? ?µ??)—which literally means “to work out fully, to accomplish completely.” Your suffering is not meaningless; it is working something eternal in you.
When you endure hardship with faith in Christ, God transforms your pain into glory.
Tim Keller wrote, “Suffering can refine us rather than destroy us—because God Himself walks with us in the fire.”
And like the three men in Daniel 3, we find that Jesus is in the flames with us, turning trials into testimonies.
5. Living with Eternal Eyes in a Temporary World
Philippians 3:20 (NLT): “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour.”
We are not permanent residents of this world. We are pilgrims journeying toward eternity. To live as citizens of heaven means to fix our priorities, passions, and purpose on the eternal, not the earthly.
R.T. Kendall said, “The most dangerous thing a Christian can do is to settle down comfortably in this world.”
When we forget eternity, we become earthbound; when we remember eternity, we become heaven-minded.
The Airport Analogy
Think of an airport terminal. No one decorates the waiting area, because no one plans to live there. Travellers keep their bags packed, eyes on the departure board, ready to go.
This world is our terminal, not our home. Don’t unpack your heart here. Keep your eyes fixed on the flight of eternity—because Jesus has already purchased your ticket with His blood.
6. The Gospel: The Eternal Hope Revealed
To see beyond the visible is to see the greatest unseen truth of all: the Gospel.
Jesus Christ—fully God, fully man—entered this temporary, visible world to reveal the invisible, eternal love of God.
He lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, and rose from the grave in glorious victory. On the Cross, He bore the temporary wrath we deserved, that we might share His eternal glory.
Romans 6:23 reminds us: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That is eternity’s most precious truth: Jesus died so that we might live forever.
To repent is to turn from the temporary pleasures of sin and turn toward the eternal joy of knowing Jesus. To believe in Him is to fix your gaze not on the fleeting things of earth, but on the everlasting glory of heaven.
7. A Call to Action: Fix Your Gaze
Beloved, where is your focus today?
Are you gazing at your troubles, or fixing your eyes on Jesus? Are you distracted by what will fade, or devoted to what will last?
Jesus calls you to look higher, deeper, further—to see beyond the visible into the eternal.
Let us echo the words of Hebrews 12:2 (NLT): “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
Fix your gaze on Jesus. When your heart aches, fix your gaze on Jesus. When your dreams fade, fix your gaze on Jesus. When the world seems dark, look to the Light of the World.
8. Invitation to Salvation
Friend, if you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, tonight is your moment. The things of this world are fading—money, fame, success, even life itself. But eternity stands before you.
The Bible says, “Today is the day of salvation.”
Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. He offers forgiveness, peace, and eternal life to all who believe.
Turn from your sin. Call on His name. Trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Fix your eyes on Him—and your eternity will change forever.
Conclusion: See the Unseen, Live for the Eternal
What we see is temporary. What we cannot see is eternal.
Let us live not by sight, but by faith. Let us endure the temporary, knowing it is preparing us for glory. Let us fix our gaze on Jesus, the eternal, unchanging, victorious Lord.
Benediction
May the Lord open your eyes to the unseen.
May your heart be fixed on the eternal.
May you walk each day with faith, hope, and love—
until that glorious day when faith becomes sight,
and you see Jesus face to face.
Amen.
