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Not Losing Heart
2 Corinthians 4:13 – 5:10
Introduction: Sometimes I think about what it would be like to live life and not be a Christian. As I think about what that would be like I can honestly say, there isn’t anything I can think of that would be appealing. Do you know what is least appealing about it? There is no real sacrifice. It’s not that people in the world do not make sacrifices, but Jesus asks us to make the ultimate sacrifice for the ultimate good, to the praise of the glory of God.
Jesus described two kinds of lives, and there aren’t three kinds! Either we are those who try to “save our lives” or we are those who “lose our lives for his sake.” The least appealing life I can think of is one in which I try to save my life.
The Corinthians believed they could be Christians and yet still live like Corinthians, without sacrifice. That’s what the flesh does. When we are carnal, the flesh convinces us there is nothing higher than physical pleasure. It is striking that as Paul writes about the sacrifices he and others with him endure, he never speaks of the hardships in a “woe is me” fashion. Instead, the hardships were an honor for Paul:
- “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” 1:5
- We are captives in Christ’s victory parade spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
- We are ministers of new covenant so that everyone can see the glory of God with unveiled faces and be transformed into the same image.
- We are clay jars holding a treasure to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
- We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair – always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so the life of Jesus may be visible in our mortal flesh.
- “So we do not lose heart…” 4:1, 16; 5:6
Therefore, in our text, Paul describes why we do not lose heart. Being a Christian is not easy. In addition to the natural difficulties of life, we willingly subject ourselves to greater hardships because of the love we have for Jesus. But here are the reasons we do not lose heart.
“We Believe, So We Also Speak” 4:13-15
Notice the phrase, “the same spirit of faith.” The reference is to the previous text of carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that life can be in others. The reference is Psalm 116 where the Psalmist was greatly afflicted, but because of his faith and the great blessings of God, he continued to speak of God’s greatness. We get this spirit of faith as a natural outcome of knowing and seeing the beauty of God. We just can’t help but speak!
Now why do we speak without fear? Two Reasons. Why do we speak in spite of the trials, sacrifices, and even threats to keep silent? Why, in the midst of suffering do we not lose heart? Because we have no fear of death. He who raised Jesus will also raise us to be in the presence of God.
Most importantly, we do not lose heart because our actions are going to cause grace to extend to more and more people causing an increase of thanksgiving, to the glory of God. God deserves the glory!
We Do Not Lose Heart: the Eternal & the Transient, 4:16-18
First notice the contrasts Paul uses that cause us not to lose heart:
The “outer self” is wasting away, but the inner is being renewed day by day. This contrast of outer self wasting is a reference to afflictions rather than simply aging. But there is still an importance to seeing the outer self waste away. Most people find this as a reason to retire as soon as possible so they can fill their “bucket list.” For the Christian, the awareness of being broken as a clay jar, pushes us to greater renewal every day. This is the same as 3:18, transformed from one degree of glory to another.
“Light momentary affliction” is contrasted with an “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
Instead of looking at the “seen,” we look at the “unseen.”
Adding to this, the things that are seen are “transient,” but the things that are unseen are “eternal.”
In 5:1, he contrasts the “tent” that is our earthly home with a “building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Notice also that “our light momentary affliction” is preparing us for the eternal weight of glory. As we saw in Hebrews 2, the path to glory is through suffering. That was the path Jesus took and he is our pioneer/trailblazer bringing us to glory by the same path. This is “affliction” is necessary to refining our character. As with Jesus, we are “learning obedience by things we suffer” (Heb. 5:8).
We Do Note Lose Heart: Our Eternal Home, 5:1-10
There is a lot that could be said here, but I want to concentrate on a few primary points.
First, Paul’s primary message through the text is defining what it means to “look at the things that are unseen.”
Twice he uses the word “groan” (2, 4) to indicate our “longing” to put on “our heavenly dwelling.” Paul’s reason for the groaning is that we are “burdened” in this earthly tent. We as disciples are not just groaning because of the limitations of the fleshly body, but as Paul said in Rom. 8:22, we are groaning as in labor pains, anxiously awaiting our transition into the “glory of the sons of God.”
In stating that we not be “found naked” or “unclothed,” Paul is making clear that we are not hoping for death; that would be a defeat. Instead, we are looking forward to this “mortal being swallowed up by life” (vs. 4).
Therefore, what should this “longing” imply about us?
- When we are longing for the unseen, our desires dramatically change. Put differently, if we are not longing for the heavenly, our desires are weak and our longings are actually for the pleasures of this life.
- Further, since we are “longing,” our choices in this life should have dramatically changed. We really don’t care what we might “miss out on” in this world because we know we are looking for “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
- Now let’s clearly identify the “longing.” Longing for what? The longing is to be at home with the Lord. “With the Lord” should be what is driving every decision and every part of our life. The “groaning” is the fact that we are in this body we are “absent from the Lord” and we would rather be “with the Lord.”
- Do you think that is an attitude we need to grow in? This is exactly where verse 7 comes in. We are walking by faith, not seeing what can be seen with our earthly eyes, but seeing the unseen. The more we know and love the Lord, the more we “miss him” and long for the day when we can be with him. It is one of those things where you and I are saying, “I can’t wait!”
Therefore, when we have this longing to be at home with the Lord, two attitudes happen:
- We make it our aim to please him (vs. 9). Our “aim,” that is, our primary goal, is to please him. We should be able to say that.
- “We are always of good courage.” Paul says that phrase twice (5:6, 8). This is the positive way of saying, “We do not lose heart.” Look at the confidence. Paul started verse 5 with, “For we know…” He follows with twice saying, “We are of good courage.” Knowing that is going to bring you to be with him in that heavenly dwelling, is the key to “longing” and making it your aim to please him.
Finally, to affirm our “good courage” even more, the end of verse 5: God prepared us for this very thing and has “given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” The blessings we have now, along with God’s revelation delivered by the Spirit, is our written guarantee from God that he is preparing us for an eternal home with him. Therefore, we do not lose heart!