Let's open our Bibles tonight
to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians the
4th chapter. We'll begin reading at verse
1. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 1. Therefore seeing we have this
ministry. In the third chapter, the Apostle
Paul has been discussing the glorious ministration of the
Spirit, this ministry of the gospel God's given us in this
day, a gospel revealed plainly and clearly in the face of Christ
Jesus, this ministry of life. As we have received mercy, we
faint not. He said, we've received this
ministry as God's service. Received this ministry as men
called and gifted of God for the work of the ministry. And
this is to us a great mercy. We faint not. We faint not. That is, we're not about to give
it up. We're not about to quit. But
have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. Not walking in
craftiness. no handling the word of God deceitfully. God's servants are men who speak
and act and walk openly and above board. God's servants are men
who speak and walk and act openly and above board. They're not
secretive, they're not dubious, they're not deceitful, they're
not cunning, they're not crafty, they're open, honest men. Not
handling the word of God deceitfully, that is not making the word of
God say what we want it to say, not turning it to suit our own
whims and fancies, but by manifestation of truth, the truth. commending
ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. We preach
the gospel with simplicity, with clarity, directly from the word
of God, and by the truth itself, commend ourselves to your conscience. The word we preach commends the
message and the messenger to your conscience. God's servants,
that which they preach is clearly set forth in the scriptures.
Verse three. But if our gospel be hid, it's
not us hiding it. It's hid to them that are lost,
in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach
not ourselves. Now, that word could be translated
many, many ways, all of them accurate. We don't preach from
ourselves. We don't preach for ourselves,
we don't preach about ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord. We
preach from Christ, for Christ, and about Christ. And ourselves,
your servants, for Jesus' sake. Ourselves, your servants, for
the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's who God's servants are,
men who give themselves ardently for the blessed work of the gospel,
serving the souls of men for the glory of God, not servants
under the thumb of men. Most preachers are like Brother
Mahan used to call them Junebug preachers. You know, in the South,
we play with Junebugs, catch them on a string, let them fly
around. They just fly around here, but they're just tied to
a string. They can't go anywhere except where that string lets
them go. And that's where preachers generally are. They're June bugs
held by the purse strings of whoever controls the money in
the church. Not God's servants. Not God's servants. God's servants
are not servants under the thumb of men, under the control of
men. They don't need to be. They're
servants to men. They're men who devote their
lives to the service of your soul. Men consecrated to the
service of your souls for Christ's sake look at verse 8 Paul says
we're troubled on every side Troubled on every side hold your
hands here and turn over to chapter 11 for a minute. Let's look at
some of these troubles 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 verse 23 Paul's been accused of being
a false prophet and other preachers set themselves up as being the
Apostles of Christ and And Paul says, are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. That is, I
ought not have to talk to you like this. I am more. In labors, more abundant. In stripes, above measure. In prisons, more frequent. In deaths, oft. Of the Jews,
five times received I forty stripes, save one. Beaten with thirty-nine
stripes, five times. Thrice was I beaten with rods.
Once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day
I've been in the deep, in journeys often, in perils of waters, in
perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils
by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness,
in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. In weariness
and painfulness and watchings often in hunger and thirst in
fastings often in cold and nakedness Decide those things that are
without that which cometh upon me daily the care of all the
churches Now look back in second corinthians four Pick right where
we left off second corinthians chapter four paul said we're
troubled verse eight on every side constantly troubled constantly
troubled Yet not distressed. From the time God called me to
life and faith in Christ, from the time God set me apart for
the work of the preaching of the gospel, from the day that
I began to utter my voice as the witness of Christ, I've been
constantly troubled, not distressed. We're perplexed. We're perplexed. Lots of things are perplexing,
but not in despair. Persecuted persecuted on every
side persecuted by men from every quarter, but not forsaken Cast
down often cast down but not destroyed Always bearing about
in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus That the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our body. I look at verse 11 For
we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake. We who live by Christ while we
live in this world are always dying, always delivered to death,
that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal
flesh. So then death worketh in us. Death worketh in us as we labor
in the cause of Christ. Death worketh in us, but life
in you. Life in you. Oh, what a tremendous
statement for that man to make. He said, I labor and give my
life and death is working in me and this is for your sake.
My life in you. Verse 13. We have in the same
spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed and
therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore
speak, knowing that he, which raised up the Lord Jesus shall
raise up us also by Jesus Christ and shall present us with you.
Oh, soon, soon. The Lord God's going to raise
us up together with Christ together with you. We are in this mortal
flesh dying. Dying Get used to it. We are in this mortal flesh Dying
for some the process takes a little longer than it does for others
according to God's appointment For some the process is more
painful than it is for others according to God's appointment
But while we're in this mortal flesh, we are dying that we might
soon live. All right read on verse 15 For
all things are for your sakes. All things are for your sakes. Child of God. God never did anything
he didn't do for you. All things are for your sakes. That the abundant grace might
through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For 60. For which cause we think
not. This is enough to keep us going.
All things are for our sakes, all things for our sakes, that
the grace of God might through our thanksgiving redound to God's
glory. So we think not. But though our
outward men perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. While I'm dying in this body
of flesh, and while this body of flesh grows weaker and weaker
day by day, while I'm less able to cast off sickness, more susceptible
to disease, while I'm able to do less and tire more quickly,
I'm dying in this mortal flesh, yet This works in me such a death
as gives me no difficulty and no trouble. For the inward man,
the inward man, this new man, Christ in you, this inward man,
this new creature God's made in you is renewed day by day. Renewed day by day is Paul suggested. Is he suggesting that the believer,
as he walks with God in Christ, walks with God in a continually
renewing experience of grace? I think that's what he's saying. We're dying. This body's dying,
but this inward man is renewed every day. Every day God renews
his grace and renews the experience of his grace in us. All right
now look at the next verse For our light affliction Our light affliction That's my
subject How could this man Refer to all that he has just
described The woes, the troubles, the heartaches, the beatings,
the shipwrecks, the abandonment, the trials one on another from
the day that God called him by his grace until this day. How
can he call this our light affliction? Our light affliction, which is
but for a moment. Now, wait a minute, Paul, we
just read about 40 years of your life experience. We've been reading
about 40 years of your life experience and you're telling this all this
40 years You've been constantly involved in distress and heartache
and persecution and perplexity Trouble day after day you says
but for a moment. That's what this life is just
for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory How on earth could this man,
inspired of God, describe the afflictions that break our hearts,
those afflictions that wring our souls, those afflictions
that cause us to awake in the middle of the night and pace
the floor and cry out from our souls that we dare not speak
with our lips lest anyone should hear us? My God, my God. Why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from me? From the words of my roaring,
is thy mercy a clean gone forever? Wilt thou cast off forever? No, we wouldn't say those words
audibly. lest the companion sleeping next
to us hear us, lest the child sleeping in the next room hear
us. For we wouldn't defend against the generation of God's children.
But how often the child of God in the midst of heartache cries,
my God, why? Why have you forsaken me? Is
your mercy clean gone forever? Is it a light thing to suffer
loneliness and pain? No. Is it a light thing to have
children who crush your heart and you have no idea where they
are? No. Is it a light thing to endure
bereavement? No. Is it a light thing to watch
someone you love Linger for days and months and weeks and years
dying slowly? No. Is it a light thing to endure
bodily sickness, financial hardship, domestic trouble, desolation
of soul, hardness of heart, emptiness, barrenness in the depth of your
soul? No. No. And God doesn't expect
us to act like stones. We're not stoics. We have feelings
and sometimes we hurt. Sometimes we hurt horribly. I know the joy of happiness and
the comfort of love and I know a little bit about the pain of
sorrow. I know what it is to be elated,
and I know what it is to be in heaviness, such heaviness of
heart that you think you can't go on. And yet there's a very
real sense in which all this great pain and sorrow we experience
in this thing called life may be looked upon as our light affliction. Let me make four or five statements
that I trust will be blessed of God to you in this regard.
Number one, I know how God tells me these things come to pass. I know what God has to say about
the troubles we experience, whatever they are, whatever they are.
I urge you, children of God, pay no attention to what psychologists
and psychiatrists and sociologists and Newspaper columnist and everybody
else has to say about trouble in this world pain pay absolutely
no attention pay no attention to what the Joel Osteen's had
to say about trouble in this world pay pay no attention those
those false prophets who are after nothing But your money
pay pay absolutely no attention to but hear what God says What
is God's testimony? What does my God tell me about
the things I suffer? He tells me this, so long as
I live in this world, I must suffer these things. That's just
part of life. That's just part of life. We
have these ideas about life when we're young, how rosy it's going
to be, how wonderful it's going to be. And let me tell you something. I didn't have a clue. just how
wonderful it was going to be. I didn't have a clue. And I didn't
have a clue just how painful it was going to be. Neither does anyone else until
he experiences those things. The believer, while he lives
in this world, lives in trouble just like everybody else. Experiences the same things everybody
else experiences. We're not exempted from any trial.
We're not exempted from any heartache. We're not exempted from any trouble.
We're not exempted from any pain that any other human being experiences. And we have one additional great
pain. We recognize that these things
come to us by the hand of God, our heavenly father. These things
didn't just happen. He brought them to pass. You
understand that? They didn't just happen. God
brought them to pass. God brought the pain. God brought
the trouble. God brought the heartache. Not
because of anger and wrath, but because of his great love for
you, whom God has determined never to abandon. We must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14, 22. You're not going
to glory any other way. It's just not going to happen.
We must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God.
I know this too. Whatever comes to pass in our
lives, whatever comes to pass in my life or yours, is the will
of God. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 5. First
Thessalonians 5, look at verse 16. As a young man, as I needed them,
God brought certain texts of scripture before my mind and
burned them in my heart at times when they were most precious
to me and they have been as foundation stones these 47 years. The first time I recall reading
this passage of scripture, I was 17 years old, and I thought I
was having some trouble. What kind of trouble does a 17-year-old
have? You just laugh at it now. The
only thing I ever heard Billy Graham say that was worth repeating,
Somebody said, uh, said Tim said, he said, talk about some young
kids in love. He said, he said, it's puppy
love, but it's real to the puppy. Well, the trouble is real to
the puppy. Doesn't matter how young the
puppy is. And this is what God said. First Thessalonians 5,
16. Rejoice evermore. Doesn't matter where you are,
how you feel and what you're experiencing. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything
give thanks for this. This. Did you get that, Don? This. Whatever it is, whatever
it is, whether you start home tonight and you lose your wife
or she loses you, this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you. Do you understand that? That
makes it a little better, a little more bearable. This is my father's
will and my father's will is good. Nothing in this universe happens
by chance or luck or blind fate. Nothing in this universe happens
to God's people as a reaction by God to something we have done.
No, not at all. It comes to pass according to
God's eternal purpose, be it good or bad, prosperous or adverse,
both the great and the small, ordained by God for our good,
our spiritual good, our eternal good. I don't see how that can
be right now. I just don't. I acknowledge it. I see difficulties I can't begin
to explain. I don't know how they're going
to accomplish good for anybody. I don't know. I can't see those
things. I just don't know. But I don't
need to see those things. I believe God. And in heaven's
eternal light, I'll see all things Worked out for good. Whatever
my heavenly father does, he does because of his infinite mercy. Immense, indescribable love and
everlasting grace toward me because of his goodness. Never because
he's angry with me. Never because he's punishing
me. That's easy enough for me to
say now. Because I'm not feeling much
pain. That's easy enough for me to say now because I've had
a good day. God's spoken to me today by his
word. And I've had the privilege of worshiping before I got here
today. So that's easy enough for me
to say. God give me grace to remember
it. When it seems that the heavens
are steel and my heart empty and God has abandoned me. He
never does anything because he's angry with me. He never does
anything to punish me. God satisfied his anger, his
vengeance, his wrath, his justice. He expended it totally on his
son when his son was made sin for me. so that God never deals
with me any of the less graciously because of my sin. The afflictions
come from the father's loving rod, not from his rod of justice. I don't know how to illustrate
that better than I have many times. As you know, we just have
one daughter. And I made it my business when
she was growing up to administer whatever punishment had to be
administered. I felt it my responsibility. So if I would be on the road
and I'd come home and Shelby said, Faith needs to be paddled. First thing took place. No questions
asked. Never once ask a question. Faith,
go get the paddle. I'll meet you in the bedroom.
That was part of the punishment. You got to get it and you got
to put it up. And then I would inflict pain on her backside. I meant to inflict pain on her
backside. I intended for her to hurt because
I wanted to correct her. I wanted to correct her. Not
once, not once, she'll tell you this, that I ever hit her in
anger. Sometimes I got angry, not often,
but sometimes I got angry. And when I got angry, I didn't
walk away. I never once hit her in anger. Never wants to satisfy
my wrath. Never wants to satisfy my anger.
Never wants to vent my anger against her. No, no, no, no.
Well, why would you cause the child such pain? Well, if you
knew her, oh, if you could just know her, most of you do. That's
what I wanted. That's just what I wanted. That's
the reason for the correction. That's the reason for it. Our
father chastens his children. to break us off from the sin
that we naturally love, to break us off from the world, to break
us off from the things of this world, to draw our hearts to
our Redeemer, never to punish us only because of His love for
us. And no matter what the trial,
no matter what the trial, no matter what the affliction, no
matter what the heartache, no matter what the trouble, God
tells me, my Savior tells me, He's with me. When Paul writes
to Timothy, his last epistle in 2 Timothy 4, he said, he said,
Timothy, hurry up and come visit me. Everybody else has left me. Demas, who had been my companion
for a long time, in whom I trusted so confidently, he's forsaken
me, having loved this present world. He said, I sent my fellow
companions to different places to preach. Luke alone is with
me. All men forsook me. Nevertheless,
the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. And that's enough. That's enough. I don't need perfect
health. Nice to have it, but I don't
need it. I need Christ's presence. I don't need prosperity and wealth. I need the riches of His grace.
I don't need a life of ease. I need the comfort of His presence.
And I know this too. Our afflictions are only for
a moment. They'll soon be over. are light
afflictions which are but for a moment. But still the question must be
answered. How can we call these things
light afflictions? You are not aware of many things
I'm aware of. Some of the pains, the heartaches,
that some of our brethren bear all the time. Pains and heartaches
and difficulties for which they can find no relief ever. Just constant, constant pain. I'm not talking necessarily about
physical pain. Constant pain in their hearts. Constant heaviness,
constant burden, constant grief. How can God say in his word,
by this man who writes by inspiration, this man who knew what he was
talking about, he had been there. He knew what he was talking about.
He wasn't just talking theory as an academic. He's telling
you, this is what I know. This is what I've experienced
in my soul. Our light afflictions, which
are but for a moment. How can that be? Well, here's
one answer. Our afflictions are light when
compared with what we deserve. You and me too. You and me too. We could be reprobate. God could have put us over there
in the Middle East where folks live in war 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, 365 days a year. We could be in Africa somewhere
worshipping around a totem pole and starving to death. We could
be. Or we could be in hell. We could be in hell. That's what
we deserve. But he hath not dealt with us
after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Sam Wall, that's true. all the
time. No matter what comes up tomorrow,
He hasn't dealt with you after your sins. He hasn't rewarded
you according to your iniquities. He remembers our flesh. He knows
we're dust. Our afflictions are light, very
light, when we consider what our Redeemer suffered for us.
Much we talk of Jesus' love, but how littles understood. Of his sufferings so intense,
angels have no perfect sense. I like to meditate on it. I try
to preach on it all the time. But that which our Lord endured
in Gethsemane, and that which he endured on Golgotha's hill,
when he was made sin for us and suffered all the wrath of
God for us. We have never yet begun to estimate. Not yet. Not yet. God teach me
the next time I start to complain about my pain, my trouble, my
woes, my difficulties. Teach me to remember what my
Savior suffered for me when he was made sin for me. See from his head, his hands,
his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did air such love
and sorrow meet? Are thorns composed so rich a
crown, were the whole realm of nature
mine, that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. These afflictions of time. our
light afflictions, compared with the bounty of God's grace heaped
upon us. Eternal covenant mercy, redemption
and life and salvation in Christ, forgiveness of sin, righteousness,
acceptance with God, free justification, everlasting immortality, life
eternal in Christ Jesus. And our afflictions are light
when you consider the glory that's awaiting us. Look at our text
again, 2 Corinthians 4. Oh, the glory that shall be revealed
to us and in us. Our light affliction, which worketh
for us Which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory. For 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. Turn back to Romans chapter 6.
No, Romans chapter 8, verse 16. Romans 8, 16. John Newton wrote that hymn,
Amazing Grace. There are a couple of verses
that are not found in most of our hymn books today. We sing
through many dangers, toils and snares. I have already come. His grace has brought me safe
thus far and grace will lead me home. Newton wrote this as
well. The Lord has promised good to
me. His word, my hope secures. He will my strength and portion
be. As long as life endures. And when this heart and flesh
shall fail. And mortal life shall cease.
I shall possess within the veil. A life of joy and peace. Romans 8 verse 16. The spirit
itself bear witness with our spirit. That we're the children
of God. And if children than heirs, heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. the glory which shall be revealed
in us. Soon, Bobby Estes, we will see
our Redeemer face to face and know even as we are known and begin to understand. I say
begin to understand because we will never be infinite, but always
finite. And we will for eternity learn
and understand what our God has done for us in Christ Jesus. I got a call from a friend in
Washington state this morning. She calls often her daughter, severely retarded lady. has been all her life. Doctors
gave her some radiation that just destroyed her brain when
she was a baby. And she got to go through a lot
of difficulties. And you want to help. But how can you help? What can
you say? What can you say? I can say this. There I clearly
see, there I clearly see how great trouble, great pain, great
trauma, great difficulty shall be down to that young lady's
everlasting glory. I just don't have any questions.
She belongs to God. This is God's doings. Why can't
I see that with regard to me and you? Soon The glory of God shall be
revealed to us and in us when we have entered into that glory
which our Savior has prepared for us. Our light afflictions, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory. Father, thank you for the affliction. Thank you for your infinite wisdom
and infinite goodness by which you order all things, pain as
well as pleasure, sickness as well as health, death
as well as life. Give us grace, our God, to bow
to you in all things for Christ's sake. Amen.