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Overcoming Discouragement
2 Corinthians 4
Pastor Tom Fuller
I want to ask two questions. Is it all right to be doing badly? And, is it all right to consider yourself weak?
Our modern culture would say “no” to both questions. It is not all right to be doing badly, to be depressed, to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. In fact the church of Jesus Christ is known for being the only army that shoots its wounded. If you don’t have a big smile and a “praise God!” on your lips then you’re suspect – you must be doing something wrong.
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not advocating a sour expression and a “oh woe is me” attitude. In fact, God’s Word tells us that the JOY of the Lord is our strength. Jesus said He came that we might have joy, and that to the fullest.
But I think as Christians we fall into the error that when things are going badly we’ve got to fake it.
To the second question – we as a society idolize strength – strength physically, strength socially, strength emotionally. The stronger you appear, then the better you are. I want to suggest another opinion about these two ideals – one found in the forth chapter of 2nd Corinthians.
In chapter 1 Paul said that they despaired even of life itself. Paul experienced opposition and discouragement from all sides. He didn’t give up, but neither did he shrink away from the despair – no, in fact he embraced it.
For us this is a powerful lesson as we face obstacles in ministry and in life.
4:1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
Paul says “therefore” referring back to chapter 3 verse 12 – to the hope that is in us thanks to the work of Jesus Christ. Because of that – through the mercy of God, Paul says, we have been equipped and called to this ministry – and look what he says: “we do not lose heart.”
To “lose heart” can mean to “become discouraged” or “become fearful.” How many times have you become discouraged when you stepped out for the Lord. Maybe other people made fun of you – maybe even your own family. Maybe you experienced persecution – even threats of violence.
What’s the tendency – to back off. “Oh, I didn’t really mean that you will burn for eternity in hell if you reject Jesus Christ – I meant it’s getting quite warm these days, isn’t it?” Paul says: God’s mercy on us who were perishing is what leads us to not lose our determination to live for Him – and to speak honestly for Him.
2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.
We don’t back off, Paul says, nor do we resort to scamming the church. He’s speaking about those who were attacking his motives and preaching. Their ways are “secret” because if the true intentions of ripping off the people spiritually and monetarily were known, they’d be rejected.
Don’t be fooled – there are a lot of scammers out there in the church. That’s why you can’t simply believe everything you hear from a guy holding a Bible and talking to a large audience.
What they do is deceive and “distort” which means to “water down.” You won’t make near as much money telling people there is a punishment for sin and the only way to avoid it is through belief and trust in Jesus Christ and repentance from those sins.
It’s much more popular to talk about guaranteed health, wealth, and happiness. Its easier to spout a doctrine that God loves you too much to condemn you to hell, even if you don’t buy this “Jesus” thing.
We’re honest, Paul says – no fake fronts, no ulterior motives.
On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
There really is ultimate truth. There are things that are true whether or not you believe them. I could believe with all my heart that if I jump off a building I will go up instead of down – but the truth is I will come crashing down and die. And here Paul says his preaching is done before God – and in the honesty of ultimate truth – everyone knows it – no matter how hard you try to hide.
Now we can sear our conscious – Paul told us that in his letter to the Romans. But deep down everyone knows the truth about sin and about God. It doesn’t matter if people try to hide it with falsity or hide from it.
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.
Did you know that? Did you know that Satan is actively obscuring the truth of the gospel from unbelievers? It’s one of his chief activities – steal, kill, and destroy. He steals the truth. No wonder people reject Jesus.
So how can anyone be saved?
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.
Its here – did you see it? In verse 4 Paul says the gospel has been veiled to the “minds,” so in verse 6 he says God makes the light shine into our “hearts.”
Am I splitting hairs here? I don’t think so. You see, even though God is a God of reason and He wants us to use our minds – we cannot understand Him at all unless His revelation first hits our heart – our soul if you will.
It happens by His Word. God said through Isaiah the prophet:
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (KJV)
And how does it “prosper?”
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (KJV)
Why does this matter? Because a huge mistake made Paul’s opponents and many even today is that it is through the mind that the knowledge of God is obtained. Later it would have a name: Gnosticism. Secret knowledge was the key – but in reality it was nothing more than false doctrine. But it sure made the people “in the know” feel pretty special.
You can have all the degrees you want and letters after your name – but knowledge alone will not save you, only faith.
Why does Paul say this? Watch what happens next:
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
I love this. This “treasure” (oddly, the Greek word thausoros) of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ – is contained in a clay pot. That’s us. We’re a bunch of clay pots with the most expensive costly worthy thing in the universe inside. Some would say we’re a bunch of “crackpots” with all of our imperfections.
If you start thinking that you in yourself are something special then realize that it’s the treasure inside, not the pot that makes it so. One problem that we get into is that we look around us and instead of seeing the treasure inside we see the pot – the weak flesh – and we say “boy that person’s got so many faults – I better point out a few,” rub some clay into the cracks or put on a new coat of paint by criticizing some flaw in them.
What we need to do instead if focus on the treasure – what Christ has done for us, how wonderful He is, what it’s like to be transformed into His image – and not worry about the pot. Now I’m not talking about sin. If we see our brother sinning, we should gently try to help him or her out of it – but again, that’s focusing on the grace and forgiveness of God through Jesus – not making the pot better.
And that treasure is indestructible.
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.
Paul is basically saying that you can throw any kind of crud you want to at us – and even though it might appear as if the enemy is winning – the ultimate victory belongs to the Lord.
When have you gotten discouraged? When does life seem unfair? When does it seem like Satan is winning battles against you right and left? Paul knew what that felt like. Jesus knows what the feels like for you.
And what is happening is that Jesus is allowing death of sorts to enter into your life so that His life might be revealed through us. How does that happen?
1 Peter 4:1-2 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
When we suffer we can “arm” ourselves – prepare by knowing that He is dealing a death blow to sin – making us more like Him. Now I know that’s little comfort – we want to know practically what to do.
Although there are things to do, I’m going to give you what Paul gives us in the next verses:
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.
Verse 13 comes from Psalm 116:10 (turn there & read through verse 11)
What I want us to see in this Psalm is that the author (unknown) is openly admitting his trouble to the Lord. He says “I believed, therefore I said I am greatly afflicted.” What do you do when trouble hits – do you run and hide from God, holding on for dear life until the crisis passes? Or do you “put on a happy face” and pretend nothing’s gone wrong?
Well I would suggest you do what the Psalmist, and Paul, did – let it out to the Lord. It’s like when a little child gets hurt in the yard, they want to come in and tell Mommy and Daddy all about that mean tree that scratched them. And though it seems so insignificant to us – it is so important to them and just telling the story helps.
Just telling our story to the Lord helps too. Don’t close off from God, open up. What’s the fruit?
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.
Your clay pot is going to get more cracked as other people take shots at you. On the outside you might bear the battle scars of many a hurt – I know I do. What matters though is what’s happening on the inside.
Paul says we are being “renewed” day by day. It means “to be refreshed” or “to be made stronger.” Our outward selves – our bodies, our old nature – is decaying. But our spirits – that part of us that can respond to the knowledge of the glory of God is being made stronger in the process. It’s hope that something good is happening despite appearances.
So then Paul calls trials “light and momentary troubles.” Oh yeah, right. I wouldn’t call my trials light or momentary – heavy and everlasting is more like it. But Paul’s point is that compared with what’s coming – eternal life, eternal joy, power, healing, the presence of God – no more sin or death or suffering – it is like momentary.
We see all the trouble around us – what we don’t see is the work going on inside the clay pot, where the treasure is.
John 16:32-33 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
We know the end of the movie – God wins! Satan loses! Yippee!
