I¡¦ve noticed in counseling with people over the years that people lose their bearings when they get bad news. Perhaps you saw the story this week about a man in Hollywood, California. Three Marines came to his home to break the news to him that his son had died in the service of his country. The distraught father went out to the garage, grabbed a bottle of propane and a can of gasoline, broke open the window of the Marine Corps van, got inside, doused the van and himself and set himself on fire, before the Marines pulled him out of the van and put out the flames.
When bad things happen, we often lose perspective on our lives or on the things that matter the most to us. I¡¦ve seen people shun their friends. I¡¦ve seen people stop caring about their health or appearance. I¡¦ve seen people push God away.
This is a challenge. When times get tough, it¡¦s easy to lose sight of God and his promises. When you¡¦re suffering, even the visible things lose focus. But God¡¦s presence in and with you is invisible. The future hope of eternity is invisible.
What¡¦s more, the culture we live in doesn¡¦t help. Our culture¡¦s preoccupation is to live as long as possible, as healthy as possible, and with as much money as possible. This view has dramatically impacted the church. It changes how we view suffering and how we view eternity. It makes it hard for us to fix our eyes on what is unseen, because we are so enamored with what we can touch and see. So anything less than our expectations for peace, comfort and health becomes a disappointment with God.
So how do we keep sight of reality? How can we see beyond our suffering? Today¡¦s passage alternates between two themes, which I¡¦m going to call ¡§trouble¡¨ and ¡§treasure.¡¨ I want to encourage you that hope in suffering comes when we are able to focus, not on the troubles around us, but on God¡¦s hidden treasure within and before us.
I. OUR TROUBLES CONCEAL DIVINE TREASURE (6-9)
¡§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. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from 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.¡¨
A. AS A CHRISTIAN, YOU POSSESS DIVINE HIDDEN TREASURE
1. God has performed an act of new creation in your life
a. in the beginning, Genesis 1, God said: ¡§let there be light¡¨
- as (6) says: ¡§let light shine out of darkness¡¨
- and light was created and filled the universe
b. if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God has created a second time
- he ¡§made his light shine in your heart¡¨
- it¡¦s the light of knowing the glory of God
= as it comes to us in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
- on our own, our spiritual lights were turned out
= we were blind to spiritual things / they made no sense to us
= we did not have the capacity to know God
- but when you come to Jesus, God works an inner transformation
= your spiritual eyes are opened
= you become a new person
= God himself becomes present within you
= his glory takes up residence inside you
= begins to transform you from within
2. (7): this is a treasure of surpassing value and power
a. have you ever contemplated what it means „³ the Holy Spirit of God lives in you?
- that (if you¡¦re a Xian) you possess the ability to know God personally & intimately?
b. human beings have been searching for this spiritual reality from the beginning of civilization
- entire religions have been created
- elaborate rituals and philosophical systems have been formulated to satisfy man¡¦s longing for the transcendent
c. in the person of JC, the light, presence and power of God in you¡K
- is a treasure beyond any worldly measure of worth
But wait! You¡¦re thinking: I don¡¦t believe it. I don¡¦t feel like God is alive in me. When I look in the mirror, I don¡¦t see light streaming from my eyes and ears. So how can this statement be true?
B. WE CAN¡¦T SEE THE TREASURE BECAUSE OF OUR OWN WEAKNESS
1. first, we¡¦re finite and mortal creatures
a. (7): ¡§we have this treasure in jars of clay¡¨
- instead of being housed in a magnificent urn or jeweled box¡K
= the treasure of God¡¦s presence is hidden inside an ordinary, common clay pot
- that¡¦s us: we¡¦re common
= we don¡¦t have much ornamentation
= we¡¦re not impressive
b. its as if a beautiful Rembrandt painting were framed in a simple, unfinished frame
2. besides being mortal creatures, we are also subject to life¡¦s afflictions
a. (8-9): hard pressed / perplexed / persecuted / struck down
- you take that plain clay pot and crack it / chip it
- take that picture frame and beat it up
= until its splintered and twisted
b. sometimes all we can see is the clay pot
- all we can see is our weakness, our limitations, our failures
= we can¡¦t see the divine treasure residing within
3. so why does God allow us to be weak / to go through suffering?
a. (7): ¡§to show that this all-surpassing power is from God & not from us¡¨
- if vessel was richly ornamented / beautiful, glorious in its own right
= you might never look past the vessel to see what was within
= you might praise the vessel as much as the treasure
b. likewise, if the treasure of God¡¦s presence / light was more visible
- people might make terrible mistake of looking to us vs. of him
- we might be tempted to think: the power was ours
= or to forget that the treasure was a gift
4. so if the treasure of God¡¦s presence is hidden within the weakness and limitation of human creatures¡K
a. does it ever show through? How?
- (8-9) the light shines when we¡¦re in trouble
= when we¡¦re hard pressed / perplexed / persecuted / struck down
- because his power and presence allows us, though hard-pressed
= to not be crushed
= though struck down, to not be destroyed
- during this present evil age, the treasure is revealed most profoundly
= in the ability God gives us to endure in midst of worst affliction
b. how ironic that, when we¡¦re in trouble, we lose sight of God¡¦s presence
- become blind again to his glory
- when these are the times that could reveal the treasure within us
= better than any other times
II. OUR TROUBLES PRODUCE INNER TREASURE (10-12)
¡§We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we show are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus¡¦ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.¡¨
A. IN OUR AFFLICTIONS, JESUS¡¦ SUFFERING IS SHARED WITH US
1. in context, Paul is reflecting on his suffering / weakness
a. when he says ¡§we are being given over to death¡¨ (11)¡K
- or (10): ¡§we always carry around in our body the dying of Jesus¡K¡¨
- I believe the idea is¡K
= trials / hardships expose our mortality
= we¡¦re weakened by them / we become vulnerable
= just how frail / feeble we are is revealed
b. (12): ¡§death is at work in us¡¨ through suffering
2. so: somehow, in times of trial, we identify with the suffering of Jesus
a. its not just that our mortality is exposed
b. but more specifically, we connect with ¡§the death of Jesus¡¨ (10)
- as a Xian, you have been united with Christ
= Bible says: you are considered to be ¡§in Christ¡¨
- so: everything in your life takes meaning from him
= every experience takes shape in light of him
c. when you face trials, you taste (in some sense) what Jesus went through
- not in the details
= you will never be whipped by Roman soldiers
= Jesus never had life-threatening surgery or chemotherapy
- but regardless of the particulars
= your trials in this life connect you to the trials of Jesus
We have to understand that in order to understand God¡¦s purposes in suffering. Because not only do we share in Jesus¡¦ suffering, we see here that¡K
B. IN OUR AFFLICTIONS, JESUS¡¦ LIFE IS FORMED IN US
1. (10): we carry death in our bodies, through suffering¡K
a. ¡§so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body¡¨
b. (11): we are always being given over to death through our afflictions¡K
- ¡§so that his life may be revealed in our mortal bodies¡¨
c. Paul sees in his own experience of suffering¡K
- the same pattern God used in achieving our salvation
- Jesus endured the agony of the cross
= but then he was raised to a new, resurrection life
- the cross had to come first!
= but it was not complete until Jesus rose from the dead
d. in the same way: death at work in us through suffering¡K
- inevitably gives way to a new, supernatural dynamic of life in us
2. the highest goal of the Christian life: to be made like Jesus
a. Rom 8: God¡¦s purpose „³ we be conformed to the image of his Son
b. Eph 4: we grow up into the whole measure of the fullness of Christ
c. Gal 2:20 = ¡§it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me¡¨
d. thus God¡¦s plan (and our desire)¡K
- to change our heart (will / attitudes) to be like Jesus¡¦ heart
- to change our purpose to be like Jesus¡¦ purpose
- to change our character to reflect Jesus¡¦ character
- to change our words and actions to be like what Jesus would say / do
3. clearly, one of the ways that God forms Christ-likeness in us: suffering
a. trials get our attention: make us look more realistically at ourselves
- trials shatter the illustions of our pride and self-sufficiency
= they break up the hardness of our hearts
- suffering brings us to the end of ourselves
= so that we see the depth of our need
= start turning to God / allowing him to do his work in us
- they say alcoholic has to ¡§hit bottom¡¨ before he will really change
= that¡¦s also true of people who are addicted to sin / selfishness
= God uses the troubles of life to take us down so we will look up
b. its like a nut
- when I was a kid, my dad used to buy a lot of raw nuts
= it was up to us to get the almonds out of the shell
- we had to take that nut and crack it with a pair of visegrip pliers
= in order to get the delicious meat out
- God takes the pliers to us¡K
= in order to release the precious life of Jesus from within
c. this is not a martyrdom theology
- Paul is not calling us to suffer more
- he simply wants to correct an attitude we have
= we are too quick to reject the role of suffering in the Xian life
4. so here again is the surpassing treasure within
a. it¡¦s the supernatural life of the risen Lord Jesus himself
- his joy / his peace / his wisdom / his goodness
- made real and acted out in your daily existence
b. its God¡¦s power actually expressed through our weakness
So: one way to see beyond the sufferings is to understand that God allows trouble to produce his treasure in you. But the treasure is not just the presence of God and the life of Jesus working inside us here in this fallen world. I want you to understand a third point that will help you keep your focus and see beyond your suffering¡K
III. OUR TROUBLES PAVE THE WAY FOR ETERNAL TREASURE (13-15)
¡§It is written, ¡¥I believed; there I have spoken.¡¦ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 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. 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.¡¨
A. WE ALREADY SAID: OUR SUFFERING NOW IS LIKE A KIND OF DEATH
But not only is the supernatural life of J. being birthed in us here and now¡K
B. ONE DAY WE WILL BE RAISED TO A GLORIFIED, RESURRECTION LIFE
1. this is another way we are identified with Jesus
a. (14): God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead
- he lives in a perfected, glorified body
= ideally fitted for the life of eternity in heaven
b. God (14) ¡§will also raise us with¡¨ him
- everyone who belongs to Jesus by faith has this hope
- this mortal body, now subject to the hardships of life
= will be transformed to be like the glorious body Jesus now has
c. furthermore (14): we will be raised into his presence: to be with Jesus
2. this glorious destiny is certainly part of our treasure
a. we have the light of the knowledge of God within us
- God¡¦s presence in our lives
b. we have the work of God transforming us into maturity
- but his supernatural power within
c. we have a wonderful future
- a whole new kind / quality of life
= free from the trials and afflictions of this world
- when this present life is over
3. how do we see this treasure in the face of our troubles?
a. Paul¡¦s response (13): faith
- he quotes Psalm 116 as an example of the spirit of faith
= a psalm written in a situation of tremendous adversity
= but where the psalm writer affirms God¡¦s goodness to him
- Paul identifies with that same kind of faith
b. this faith translates into a personal assurance (14)
- ¡§we know¡¨¡Kwhat God has done / what he will do
- its not just the promise of a glorious resurrection
= and freedom from the afflictions of this life
- Jesus¡¦ empty grave provides a solid foundation for trusting God
= because he has already demonstrated what he can do
= already demonstrated his love / his power
= already showed us that suffering is not the end result in his plans
- we have reason to trust in God when times are hard
Paul has told us that our troubles conceal divine treasure, they help produce inner treasure, and they pave the way for eternal treasure. Now, in the final three verses, he brings it all home. He pulls it all together for us and calls us to make a decision. If you want to see beyond your suffering, you must realize that¡K
IV. OUR TROUBLES CAN NEVER COMPARE TO GOD¡¦S TREASURE (16-18)
¡§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.¡¨
A. (16): OUTWARD DECLINE CANNOT COMPARE TO INWARD RENEWAL
1. physically, all of us are in decline
a. some of us are just farther along than others
- but nothing in this world lasts forever
b. but its not just our physical life
- our whole life in relation to the outer, visible world is corrupt
= what the NT calls ¡§the old self¡¨¡K
= our old self / our old bodies: both falling apart
2. but inwardly, those who belong to Jesus are being renewed
a. day by day, as we said: a new, supernatural life is taking shape in us
- the life of the risen Lord Jesus is being formed in us
= renewing our old motives, priorities, actions
b. as we watch our health decline or illness threaten our well-being
- it doesn¡¦t really matter that much in the big picture
- because something far more significant is happening within
c. you¡¦ve probably met people whose outward person is beautiful
- fit, wealthy, attractive
= whose lives are easy / free from pain
- but who are selfish, out-of-control, dissatisfied, empty
= because they don¡¦t have God¡¦s treasure within
d. perhaps you know others who suffer from some chronic disease
- wracked by old age / some physical deformity
= don¡¦t have much money
- but their lives overflow with joy & peace
= they bless / encourage / impart life to others
= because they are continually being renewed by the presence of Jesus within
e. by the way, this addresses the so-called ¡§health and wealth¡¨ gospel
- reminds us: the focus of God¡¦s blessing is not external but internal
= the goal of gospel is not to prevent the decline of outward person
= but to facilitate the renewal of the inward person
- the ¡§health and wealth¡¨ gospel assumes suffering comes from Satan
= and must be opposed
= Paul explains: suffering is God¡¦s tool to make us more like Jesus
- ¡§health and wealth¡¨ gospel is pursuing glory on this earth
= a removal of troubles on this earth
= Paul focuses on the far surpassing glory of the life to come
B. (17): TODAY¡¦S TROUBLES CAN¡¦T COMPARE TO TOMORROW¡¦S GLORY
1. remember: Paul had been serious hardships
a. saw last week: he despaired of his life
- he had been assaulted by a mob; shipwrecked; wrongly imprisoned; beaten and left for dead; and more
b. yet he speaks of our afflictions in life as ¡§light and momentary¡¨
2. our troubles seem like such a heavy weight to bear
a. how can he call them ¡§light¡¨?
b. sometimes it seems like they go on forever
- we¡¦ve been living with the pain for all these years
- how can he call them ¡§momentary¡¨?
c. because this is the perspective that takes eternity into account!
- nothing you or I will face in this life is really that big of a deal¡K
- when you factor in the ¡§eternal glory that far outweighs them all¡¨
= put all your sufferings on this side of the scale
= then put our future resurrection in Jesus¡¦ presence on this side
- its like when my kids were little, trying to play teeter-totter w/them
= it didn¡¦t work, because I far outweighed them both
= couldn¡¦t make their side go down!
= there¡¦s no comparison!
C. UNDERSTANDING THESE THINGS „³ TWO PRACTICAL STEPS
1. first: don¡¦t give up hope when you see the troubles
a. (16): therefore we do not lose heart
- we¡¦ve probably all lost heart when things got tough
= hopefully that¡¦s only a temporary condition
= until we get our bearings and remember the treasure we have
b. then we remember that our troubles (18) are only temporary
Baseball pitcher Tug McGraw explained how he kept from getting overwhelmed with pressure in a difficult game situation. He called it his ¡§frozen snowball¡¨ theory.
¡§If I come in to pitch with the bases loaded,¡¨ he explained, ¡§and heavy hitter Willie Stargell is at bat, there¡¦s no reason I want to throw the ball. But eventually I have to pitch. So I remind myself that in a few billion years the earth will become a frozen snowball hurtling through space, and nobody¡¦s going to care what Willie Stargell did with the bases loaded.¡¨
- 10 seconds into your eternal state¡K
= the struggles of this life suddenly won¡¦t amount to a hill of beans
- so don¡¦t lose hope: the troubles are only temporary
2. second: keep your eyes on the unseen treasure
a. (18): so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen
- ¡§fix¡¨ your eyes: you don¡¦t take them off the view
= don¡¦t allow your vision to become distracted
- it¡¦s a picture of the kid playing the video game
= so intent and focused
= knowing that if he takes his eyes off the screen for a moment¡K
= his character will be destroyed
b. so how do you fix your eyes on something you can¡¦t see?
- you use what Xian writers have always called ¡§the eyes of faith¡¨
- sight becomes a metaphor for what you hold in your heart as real
= you have a mental picture of the way things really are
= even though you can¡¦t see what your resurrection will look like
- it¡¦s a retraining, actually, of your mind
= to focus your attention, emotions, choices on what is real
- its very natural to focus our attention on our troubles
= they will fill every waking thought if you let them
- it takes a conscious choice to redirect your mind¡K
= to think of things above / unseen things
c. the truth is: this is a habit developed every day of life
- this is why we advocate a daily time alone with God
= a time where you remove your gaze from the things of this world
= practice setting your gaze on eternal things
= as you commune with God in prayer / in the Bible
- to put it terms of today¡¦s passage, that is a daily time of ¡§treasure hunting¡¨
= a time where you get in touch with God¡¦s presence
= and cultivate the life of Jesus within you
- so that when afflictions come¡K
= your gaze is already fixed on the unseen things
= you don¡¦t have to learn survival skills right in middle of battle
CONCLUSION
Max Lucado tells a story in one of his books¡K
Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse such as no one had ever seen before. People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. ¡§This horse is a friend to me,¡¨ he would tell them. ¡§How could you sell a friend?¡¨ The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. ¡§You old fool,¡¨ they scoffed, ¡§we told you that you should have sold the horse. Now its been stolen, and you¡¦ve been cursed with misfortune.¡¨
The old man responded, ¡§Don¡¦t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can¡¦t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?¡¨
The people of the village laughed. Here was a poor woodcutter, an old man still dragging firewood out of the forest, when he could have sold his horse. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.
After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn¡¦t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. When he returned, he brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around. ¡§Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.¡¨
The man responded, ¡§Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back, and that a dozen horses returned with him. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page.¡¨
¡§Maybe the old man is right,¡¨ they said to one another. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. With a little bit of work, the wild horses could be broken and trained and sold for much money.
The old man had a son, an only son. As he was breaking the wild horses, he fell and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man. ¡§You were right,¡¨ they said. ¡§The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.¡¨
The old man spoke again. ¡§You people are obsessed with judging. Don¡¦t go so far. My son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse?¡¨
It so happened that a few weeks later the country was invaded by a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the old man¡¦s son was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around, crying and screaming because there was little chance their sons would return.
¡§You were right, old man,¡¨ they wept. ¡§God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son¡¦s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.¡¨
The old man spoke again. ¡§It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.¡¨
The point is: without God¡¦s eternal perspective, we don¡¦t know what our trials and afflictions might mean. But God has told us what the bigger picture us. We may only be able to see it with the eyes of faith. But we have confidence that what God says is true. He is doing an unseen work within us. Resurrection glory awaits us. You can see beyond your suffering as you keep your sight fixed on that treasure, not on your troubles. Let¡¦s pray.
