II Corinthians 4:8-10, 15-18
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 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.
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15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While 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.
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In our text we see that although we face momentary tribulations they are not permanent. It reminds us that in every situation, there is some test or trial that we should learn from. It gives us a list of terms that we are all very familiar with and at no doubt experienced. Those terms are: Hard-pressed, Surrounded, Perplexed, Persecuted, Struck down. According to our text these terms are all the emotions that we often feel describe and designate our status in life. Undoubtedly we can all understand why the Apostle Paul must have felt that way. Think of all the hardships that Paul had to endure. He was beaten, imprisoned and daily tortured for this same cause.
Let’s take a blast from the past. What about David. Let’s think about all the things that happened in his life. His family all counted him out when it came down to the most important task of his life. Although they counted him out God did not cast him out. Let’s take another scene from his life. What about when they felt that he was not fit to go into war against the Philistine named Goliath, or what about when Saul pursued him with the intent of taking his deadly life. Again many counted him out but God had not cast him out.
How about another person we all know. What about Moses. He was born to slave and become an heir to the throne of Egypt. What about when the Hebrews fellowship mocked him for not being “enslaved”. Oh or how he was undoubtedly teased by the Egyptians for looking different and not being like them.
Still not good enough for you? What about when Jesus, Savior of the World was born in a manger? What about his training as a carpenter’s son. How about when he was roaming around with the lowest of the low? Again he was definitely counted out but God had no cast him out. Surely he was condemned by the present officials but God had not convicted him. Well let’s look at this what about when he was beat and bruised for all humanity. What about when he climbed Golgotha’s hill. What about when he took the nails in his hand and his feet, what about when he was pierced in the side. What about when he cried out, “It is finished!” The moment he rescued all salvation and the dying world. The most important moment in history, the defining moment of a life time. Jesus, just think about it, Jesus was counted out but God had not cast him out.
Still not enough? Just think about this one. Satan is counted out and cast out. But do you not know if only he would bow his head in submission he would be redeemed and saved from his eternal fate. Do you not know that God desires to see not one lost? Don’t you know that God is a God of love and compassion? He desires to care for us and to save us. God desires to bless us no matter what the present situation may be.
In Psalm 91:1 God makes the following promise: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, God promises that if we will only seek him for strength that we will find it. But let me tell you what this really talks about. This refers to David. This refers to the time when he needed to feel the presence of God but was not holy enough to behold the ark.
See what people don’t realize is though David was a man of God and he was ordained for a purpose, he was a Man of War. Often times people seem to think that he couldn’t be in the presence of God because of this. It was not that. He fought God ordained and God driven wars. David couldn’t enter into his presence because of the man he killed on purpose. At this time David had, had Bathsheba’s husband killed so that he could satisfy his lustful flesh. It was because of this that David could not enter into the true presence of God. So what David would do was wait until the light entering the tabernacle was above the Ark so that it cast a shadow. He would then crouch in that shadow. From doing this, he would feel renewed with God’s presence. He would feel a close communion with the one who never cast him out even in all his unworthiness.
As you can see, it is in our times of loneliness that the presence of God can do his greatest work in us. It is when we lose all ability to correctly function and the ability to rationalize for ourselves that he can do all that he desires to do. It is in our weakness that he is made strong and that his power is picture perfect and proof positive. For when we ignore out own will and focus in on his, it is then that he can truly speak to us.
It is now that the second part of this passage becomes important. It is when we can look at all the things we feel that we are and we can suddenly realize all the things we are not: Not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, and not destroyed. It is then that we realize that our present sufferings are only temporary. It is then that we can see that yes by all means the world has counted us out but God has not cast us out.
We face many struggles on a daily basis. Whether these struggles be finances, sickness or even disability. What we have to realize is, these struggles are not and will not ever be finite. Meaning that these are things that will at some point come to pass, if you ever paid attention to the KJV bible there are more instances of the words “And it came to pass…” Just like all situations, and it shall come to pass. We know that in Romans 8:28, it reads as follows; And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. We must simply take the steps to take God at his word and know that no matter our present sufferings, he is still in control and he still sits on the throne.
We have to remember that in 2 Corinthians 12:9 God promises the following: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." It is not said just to look cute not is it meant just to sound cute. It is meant to reassure us that his power can overcome our greatest weaknesses because God said so. We have every assurance in the world that this true because in Isaiah 55:11, God says this: so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. God promises that nothing he says will ever, not achieve his purpose and I’ve got news for you.
God spoke you!!! God spoke you!!! That’s something to shout about. God spoke you!!! Just think about it. He made you with his hands and he spoke you. The day he created the universe, he spoke you. The Earth was created to be a habitation for you, a place where you could commune with God and where you could worship him. Just think about it in Jeremiah 29:11 God promises; For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God promises to prosper us. God promises that he has a plan for our lives so that means that we can’t fail. We can’t be destroyed. God has spoken us into his kingdom. He has literally promised to bless us. In Psalms he promises that if we delight ourselves in him that he would give us the desires of our hearts and then in Matthew he promises that if we first seek the kingdom of Heaven that all other things would be added to us.
So that means if we would simply take our minds off of all the carnal things, meaning the temporal things including emotions. Yes emotions are temporal they cannot and will not last forever, if you forget about the temporal and begin to seek God. I don’t mean pretend to seek him. But really begin to seek him not through prayer but through intercession. If you begin to forget about your own selfish “needs” and begin to seek the needs and betterment of others so many doors will begin to be opened. Also in Jeremiah 29, God promises that if we seek him he will indeed be found by us. What a blessed assurance, what an awesome promise to know that if we earnestly seek God that we shall find him no matter how bad the situation may look. It’s awesome to know that even when life’s situations, other people and even we ourselves have counted us out, God has not cast us out!!!
Yes, often times we do cast ourselves out. Think we don’t huh? Look at Isaiah, Jonah, Jeremiah and Paul. They all felt like there was something that did not qualify them for their call to duty. But oh what a mighty God will even work with us despite our doubt in him. Yes what a God we serve that would even look past all our hurt and everything we think that makes us unfit. That even when we are easily willing to ignore all he has said and count ourselves out, he is not willing to cast us out. Isn’t it awesome to know that God will always preserve his plan for us even when we don’t see it even when we are counted out by man’s standards, God still doesn’t cast us out!
Originally written April 5, 2007
God Bless and Keep you!
Lesley D.
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