I've entitled the message for
this evening, looking at what is not seen. Looking at what is not seen. Now, Paul says in verse 17, for
our light affliction. Now he describes this affliction
beginning in verse 7 of the same chapter. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, jars of clay,
the treasure of the gospel, the treasure of the Holy Spirit,
the treasure of Christ in you, the treasure of a new man, the
treasure of Christ. We have this treasure in jars
of clay, earthen vessels. And here's why, that the excellency
of the power may be of God and not of us. Now here's this light
affliction. We're troubled on every side,
yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in
despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Now, these are
the light afflictions he's speaking of. And you know, any affliction
we have, it's light. You know why it's light? It's
so temporary. It's just for a moment. Our light affliction, which is
but for a moment. You can deal with anything if
it's short-lived, can't you? Pain, suffering, if it's just
for a moment, just a moment. And compared with eternity, it's
not even that long. Our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, worketh for us. It's working for us. Who's
the us? Well, Paul described it this
way, and we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God. To them who are the called according
to His purpose. That's who it's working for. Those who love God, those who
are the called according to His purpose. And I love the way he
says, In verse 17, it worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory. Now this is true of every believer
without exception. Our light affliction, which has
been for a moment so temporary, so transient, so quick, worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And that's why Paul said in 1
Thessalonians 5.18, in everything give thanks. It's working for
your good. It's working together for your
good. It's working for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory. In everything give thanks. For
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. concerning you. Whatever
it is, it's God's will concerning you. Verse 18, while we look, not at the things which are seen,
but the things which are not seen. For the things which are
seen are temporal. They're temporary. They will
not last. Whatever it is you can see, it's
temporary. But the things which are not
seen are eternal. Now, I love the way he says we
look at thing while we look not at things which are seen. Things
that you can see with the physical eye. We look at those things
which you cannot see with the physical eye. God. I love that
song, immortal, invisible, the only wise God in light, inaccessible,
hid from our eyes. God who covers himself with light
as with a garment. The Lord Jesus Christ, whom having
not seen, you love. I've never seen him and I love
him. Whom though now you seem not
yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. The spirit of God, you haven't
seen him. The wind blows where it wills.
You hear the sound thereof and you can't not tell from whence
it come or whether it goes. You can't see. You see, faith is the evidence
of things not seen. I can't see the Lamb's Book of
Life. I can't see the role of God's
elect. I can't see that. I don't have
any access to it at all. What is the evidence that your
name is written in that book? One evidence. Faith in Christ. That's it. I can't see justification. I can't see that when God looks
upon me, he sees someone who has never sinned. I can't see
that. Oh, what's the evidence that
it's even true? Faith is the evidence of things
not seen. And let me remind you, faith
is not believing you're saved. Faith is believing He's the Savior.
Faith is believing He's the Son of God. Faith is believing He's
God's Christ. Faith is believing He's the Creator
of the world. Faith is not what you believe about yourself. It's
what you believe with regard to Him. Faith is the evidence of being
justified. I can't see that all my sins
are washed away and redeemed. We sang that song just now. What
can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
But there's nothing I can see physically that tells me my sins
are washed away. What is the evidence? Faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. I can't see my new man, my holy
nature, that nature given to me in the new birth that cannot
sin. I can't see that. Well, how do you know you have
him? Because I believe the gospel. I believe on Christ. We can't physically see we have
an interest in these things, but faith is the evidence of
that which is not seen. Truly, we walk by faith and not
by sight. I don't judge my standing before
God by anything I can see anywhere. Not even looking at myself. I
don't see my standing before God based on anything I see. We walk by faith and not by sight. The things that are seen, all
of them, are temporal. The things we see in somebody
else's body or our own body, they're temporal. They're transient. They're temporary. They will
not last. All that we see will not last,
but the things which are not seen are eternal. They never had a beginning, and
they will never have an end. Now, anything that's temporal
will not be of any value on judgment day. Let me repeat that. Anything
that's temporal, anything that's not seen will be of no value
on judgment day. Only that which is not seen,
that which is eternal. will be of value on judgment
day. Let me read you this scripture. You can turn to it if you want.
Hebrews 12, verse 26, whose voice then shook the earth, but now
he is promising yet once more, I shake not the earth only, but
also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies
the removing of those things that are shaken as of things
that are made temporary. What would happen if God give
you a good shaking? You'd be shook up, wouldn't you? You'd
fall apart. The only thing that remains is
that which is not made, that which is eternal, that which
never had a beginning, that which never had an end. Now, you and
I are bound by space and time. We can't be two places at once,
can we? In two places at once, he's everywhere.
He's omnipresent. You can't go anywhere where he's
not. With us, we're tied up to yesterday,
what happened yesterday that we regret or feel good about
or what's going on right now. We don't have a clue as to what's
going to happen tomorrow. We're bound up in this thing
called time, but not God. He's not bound by space or time. There's no yesterday with him
and there's no tomorrow with him. Everything is in the eternal,
absolute present. Somebody says, I just don't understand
that. Well, I don't expect you do.
I don't either, but we believe it. And this is what Paul says
we're looking to. While we look, not on things
which are seen, but things which are not seen. For the things
that are seen are temporal, and the things that are not seen
are eternal. Now, eternity means never having
had a beginning and never having an ending. He calls himself the high and
lofty one who inhabits eternity. From everlasting to everlasting,
Thou art God. The eternal God is thy refuge. When he identifies himself as
I am that I am, that means he never was and he never will be.
He's always in the eternal presence. Thou shalt endure forever. Thou art the same. and thy years shall not fail. Now to the King, eternal. Well, all you can do is bow down
before that, isn't it? Now to the King, eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
eternally, infinitely was, dwelling in His own isness. The same was
in the beginning with God. He's in the bosom of the Father
eternally. What a place of nearness in the
bosom of the father. in the beginning with God. He
is eternally the only begotten Son. I'm just astounded thinking
about this. He wasn't begotten when He was
raised from the dead, although He was. He's the eternally begotten
Son of God. You know, just like Christ is
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, He's the Lamb raised
from the foundation of the world. And His begetting is an eternal
begetting. It's not an event of time, it's
who God is. seen in the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is eternally the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. And I love saying this, the universe
was created and the fall was decreed by God almighty for the
lamb slain from the foundation of the world to be slain in time. What is our message? Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. His works
done in time were all done in eternity. Listen to this scripture,
Hebrews chapter four, verse three, all the works were finished from
the foundation of the world. And this is who God is, he's
eternal. Everything he does is eternal. This is not some kind
of obscure teaching, this is who God is. He saved us, 2 Timothy
1.9, he saved us. He called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which were given us in Christ Jesus. before the world
began. According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world. You see, we're
relying on him who is eternal and what he did, which is eternal. Come ye blessed of my father. Inherit the kingdom prepared
for you. from the foundation of the world. Jeremiah 31, 3, behold, I have
loved you with an everlasting love. We even read of a book,
and it's older than this book, that Lamb's Book of Life. There
was people who worshiped the beast and they were identified
like this in Revelation 17, eight. Those who worshiped him or those
whose names were not written in the Lamb's Book of Life from
the foundation of the world. Remember when the Lord said to
his disciples, and this rejoice not that the spirits are subject
to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Him being delivered. by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. Peter begins this first gospel
sermon in Acts chapter two like that. I love to think of the
early church at prayer, the church, these are people who hadn't been
believers but for a couple of weeks, they get together and
say, Both Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles with the people
of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand
and thy counsel determined before to be done. It's gospel preaching,
isn't it? It's talking about him who is
eternal. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. He said, I declare the end from
the beginning and from ancient times, things that are not yet
done, saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did he. Where's your God, David? Our
God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. This is the preponderance of
scripture, isn't it? Romans 9-11 for the children, being not yet
born. neither having done any good
or evil, no good works to recommend them, no evil works to disqualify
them, for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, the purpose of
God, the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our
Lord, that the purpose of God according to election might stand,
and what is that purpose? Not of works. Aren't you thankful
to that way? Not of works, but of him that calleth. The gospel itself is called the
eternal gospel, Revelation 14.6. We read in the book of Hebrews
of eternal salvation. Eternal salvation. A salvation
that had no beginning. A salvation that will have no
end. We read of eternal judgment. All judgment taking place in
eternity. We read of eternal redemption. Eternal inheritance. Everlasting
or the eternal covenant, the blood of the everlasting covenant. That's what David referred to.
Here's one of my favorite scriptures. Although my house be not so with
God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things. Nothing left to chance or happenstance
and sure, And this is all my salvation and all my desire. And though we make it not to
grow, and I say with David, yep, it's all my salvation too. It's
all my desire. This everlasting eternal covenant. We read words like foreordained,
ordained beforehand, foreknowledge. whom he did foreknow. We read
words like predestination and purpose. This is who God is.
And if this is not your God, you're worshiping a man-made
God. You're worshiping an idol. You're worshiping the figment
of man's depraved imagination. You're worshiping a God that
can't save. Now, over the years, I've had I bet this has happened
to me 10 or 12 times at least. Somebody says, well, you're preaching
eternal justification. Yes, I am. Yes, I am. You heard right then. You see,
a justification that is not eternal cannot actually be a justification.
Now, what do I mean by that? If you're justified, that means
you never sin. God said, I'll by no means clear
the guilty. If God sees you as having sinned,
he's not gonna clear you. God's holy, God's just, God's
right. So in God's perfect view, every
believer is eternally justified. And that goes on in 2 Timothy
1.9, he saved us, he called us with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us. All the blessings of salvation
were given us. Justification, sanctification,
adoption, whatever it might be, all of salvation was given to
us in Christ Jesus before the world began. and the only kind
of justification there is, is eternal justification. Somebody says, I don't understand that. Well, I don't reckon I do either,
but I believe it. I believe it all together. Does Paul say anything less when
he says, while we look not at things which are temporal, Temporary,
but things that are eternal. You see, something temporary
isn't going to do me any good. The only way I could be saved
is if it was already accomplished before time began. Revelation
13, eight, I've already quoted it. Christ is a lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. And that word slain is in the
perfect tense. That means perfectly completed,
never to be repeated. And somebody's thinking, well,
why did he have to come into the world to be slain then? I
don't know, but he did. He did. I can't explain this,
but I know the lamb slain from the foundation of the world had
to come in time and be slain and put away the sins of his
people. And if you and I do not believe the gospel in time, we
never were saved in eternity. Acts 13, 48, as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed. Now God is who he is. He's eternal
and whatever he does is right. Whatever he does is good because
he did it. He's too strong to fail. He's
too wise to err, and he's too kind to be cruel. And he doesn't
do something because it's right. If he does it, it is right because
he does it. That's what makes it right, is he does it. Now,
let me close with these statements. I don't want to preach long tonight,
I just want you to hear what's being said. Number one, me and
you deserve to be in hell. And whether you see that or not,
it's so. I'm looking at some people that
I think are the salt of the earth, fine people, I admire I esteem
you highly. There's no doubt about that.
And also know this, me and you deserve to be in hell. And if
we don't see that, there's one reason we don't see it, because
we've never really seen who God is or how evil sin really is.
We just haven't seen it. Me and you deserve to be in hell. That's a sobering reality. And
if we're saved, it must be Him saving us. I've got to be elected by the
Father. I've got to be redeemed by the Son. I've got to be regenerated
and given new life by the Holy Spirit. And if any of those things
coming to pass is dependent upon me doing something, I have no
hope. He must do it all. We live in a world where all
things we see are temporary, temporal. They will not last. They will not last. And we're all going to a world
that is eternal. All this, it's going to be over
just like that. And then we're all going to a
world that's eternal. Hell is eternal. There's no way a sinner can ever
satisfy the justice of God. That's why hell is eternal. It
lasts forever. Heaven is eternal. It lasts forever, perfect conformity
to the image of Christ. You know, we're all living right
now on the brink of eternity, aren't we? And do you know the
way you die is the way you will spend eternity. Let me show you
that in scripture. Turn to Revelation 22. I'd like
you to see this. Verse 11. He that is unjust, not in a justified
state, let him be unjust still for eternity. He which is filthy,
let him be filthy still throughout eternity. You know, the fires
of hell are not gonna put sin away. They're not gonna do it. You're gonna remain that way
forever. I'll remain that way forever
if I go to hell. And he that is righteous, let
him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him
be holy still. Now how we die is how we're going
to spend eternity. Now I wanna close by looking
at John chapter six for a moment. John chapter six. Verse 25, and when they had found
him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi,
when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, you seek me not because you saw
the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves and were
filled. You're looking for things that
happen here in time. Labor not for the meat which perisheth,
temporal, but for that meat which endureth, eternal, unto everlasting
life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you. For him hath God
the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, what
shall we do? That we might work the works
of God. What shall we do? Once again, temporal. something
that could be seen. What kind of work can we do that'll
make us be working the works of God? This is temporal. Verse
29, Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God,
the eternal work of God. This is his work, that you believe
on him whom he has sent. He came from eternity sent by
the Father, and you believe on him whom he hath sent. Verse
30, they said therefore unto him, what sign showest thou then?
Something we can see, something temporal. Give us some proof,
give us some evidence. What sign showest thou that we
may see and believe? What does thou work? Are fathers
that eat man in the wilderness? As it's written, he gave them
bread from heaven to eat. Once again, temporal. Verse 32, then Jesus said unto
them, Verily I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread
from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. That's eternal. Then said they
unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. They still didn't
have any idea what he was talking about. They wanted something
temporal. Give us this bread. This would
be great. A lifetime supply of bread. Maybe like getting a check
in the mail for $10,000 a week for the rest of your life. You
got no problems. You can get by on that, can't you? That's
what they were looking for. And Jesus said unto them, verse
35, I am the bread of life. Eternal life. He that cometh
to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. But I said unto you that you
also have seen me, and believe not. You're looking for what
you can see. You're looking for proof. You're looking for evidence.
You've seen me, and you don't believe, but here's what took
place in eternity that is seen in time. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise, for no reason whatsoever cast out. If I come, I will be received. And you know what that makes
me say? Lord, cause me to come to thee.
Cause me with irresistible grace to come to thee. Blessed is the
man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee. Oh Lord,
let me be that man. Verse 38, for I came down from
heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent
me. Now this is his eternal work.
This is the father's will which has sent me, that of all which
he hath given me, I should lose nothing. Do you know that if Christ died
for me, if I'm somebody who's come to Christ and only by his
grace, and I end up being lost, I'd lose a lot. But you know
who'd lose more? Him. That means he would have
failed in what his father sent him to do. That ain't gonna happen. He says, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. He said, this is the Father's
will which is sent me, that of all which he has given me, I
should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which
seeth the Son. Now, that's not a temporal sight
of the Son. There are a whole lot of people
who saw the Lord in the flesh that had no idea who He was.
This is talking about a spiritual sight of the Son. You see the
Son. You know what that means? That
means you believe He's the Son of God. That means you believe
He's God's Christ. That means you believe He's the
Creator of the universe. That means you believe that if
He saves you, you must be saved. You believe Him. Everyone that
seeth the Son and believeth on him, relieth on him. I'm relying on him. If he doesn't
do it all, I'm gone. I'm relying on him. Everyone
that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life. That's eternal, isn't it? Everlasting
life. and I will raise him up at the
last day. Truly we look not at things which
are seen, but things which are not seen. The things that are
seen, they're temporal. The things that are not seen
are eternal. Let's pray. Lord, give us the grace to look
Not at things which are seen, but things that are not seen. Knowing that the things that
are seen are only temporal, they won't stand in judgment day.
They'll be swept away. But the things which are not
seen are eternal. We give thanks for that. In Christ's
name we pray, amen. I want to sing.