[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfreda, Georgia. This is the next message in our series in the book of 2 Corinthians, entitled, We Faint Not.
[0:14] It is exciting when you understand that there is another perspective besides the one you can see with your eyes and the world that you live in and the experiences you have. I don't know if anybody in this room has ever been in this situation, but sometimes there will be a bug that gets on my windshield.
[0:30] And I'm getting ready to pull out, and I've even made the comment to Betty, boy, this bug's perspective on life is about to change in a drastic manner. You start out of the driveway, you know, and you're doing two miles an hour, and he's clinging to the windshield.
[0:44] And as you drive down the road with this bug on there, you get up to five miles an hour, you can see the wind moving real quickly. Now, this bug probably never flown more than a few hundred feet. He's certainly never been down the road two or three miles.
[0:55] I get to the top of the subdivision. It's a mile. We have now gone outside of his normal life. And then we start down the road, and he is still holding on.
[1:05] And I tell Betty, I said, how fast can this bug hold on? And we're doing 20 miles an hour. He's still clinging. And at 30, and sometimes he's still clinging. He goes a little faster, and all of a sudden he goes, zoom, and he flies off.
[1:16] And can you just imagine what happens when he comes down and he starts flying around? And he's like, man, I've never been here. I've never seen this. This is a whole new world. It's beyond anything I ever imagined. And here's what you have as a Christian, and if you study the Word of God.
[1:30] And that is you have an eternal perspective versus a temporal or temporary perspective. You realize that there is a God seated in heaven on a throne. You realize that there are things that we don't see, but we know are there because of what the Word of God says.
[1:44] And you understand that life is completely far different than what's going on here. It's very easy to get caught up in mundane, everyday tasks.
[1:55] It's very easy to get caught up in eating and drinking and sleeping and having a family and building a house and getting a job and taking care of everything. And lose perspective that there is something big and eternal out there.
[2:06] That this world is a very small, minute thing. As small as that bug is on my windshield, you are smaller than that on God's windshield. As small as you and I are and what goes on, as small as that bug is in what we look at, we are that small in terms of eternity.
[2:22] But as a born-again Christian, eternity is yours. And as a born-again Christian, heaven with God is yours. And as a born-again Christian, you start to realize that the 70, 80, or 100 years that you live on this planet are only a very small drop in the bucket.
[2:37] And God has big plans. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and he says, hey, I want you to get an eternal perspective. I want you to look at eternity versus temporal or eternity versus temporary.
[2:51] I want you to see a gazillion years versus the little 80 years that you're going to live. And so I want you to go with me in the Bible. I want you to get a hold of some things today.
[3:01] Every day you've lived and every year you've gotten older, you've realized something that life has limits. The longer you live, the more people you see die. Some of us, I've known people that go to funerals and say, all of my friends are dying.
[3:15] I'm only the, I'm the last one left. I remember, I remember when my dad died and I realized that in my dad's line, I was, I'm the oldest now. And I, I'm the, I'm the patriarch, you might say, in that sense of the family.
[3:28] Things take on a different meaning. So look with me, if you would learn today that your life has much more meaning than the temporary that you could say. Look with me, if you would, in second Corinthians chapter four, and we'll start in verse 12.
[3:41] And the first thing I want you to see is Paul says that death works in us. He's talking about himself. He's talking about his ministry, but he's trying to get them to understand. He's trying to get them to understand something bigger and beyond anything that they know about.
[3:54] Look at verse 12. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. What's happening is the apostle Paul is doing the ministry of God. He's working for this unseen cause bigger than anything they've ever understood or seen.
[4:07] They've been born again. And there are Judaizers or there are these people that are, that are legalists in the church and they're attacking him. And they're telling Paul that he's got failures. He's got problems and he's, and he's going to prison.
[4:19] He's being hurt. And, and, and they've mocked him. And he says, yep, well, you know, you might have life, but death works in me. Paul sees beyond what's happening in his life to what God is doing.
[4:30] So go with me, if you would back up. So you'll understand where that verse came from. Look at verse 10. Look at verse 10. Paul was willing to pay any price to get the gospel to the world. Death was not off the table.
[4:41] The apostle Paul said, Hey, this life is temporary. There are bigger, better, eternal things that matter. And all I care about on this planet, on this earth and this lifetime.
[4:51] And what I've got going on is to get the gospel of Jesus around the world. Look at verse 10. If you would 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.
[5:04] He said, I walk around all the time. And what I carry with me is the body of the dying of Jesus. What I do is I, I live knowing what he's done and what he suffered. I live for that. And he says, and I want the life of also of Jesus to be made manifest.
[5:19] I want people to see Jesus and to know Jesus. Verse 11, for we, which live are always delivered unto death. We're delivered unto death. We're prepared for death. We're ready for death that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
[5:32] Paul could say, death's not that big a deal for me because I have something bigger beyond that and what God has for me. Paul would suffer anything for the cause of Christ.
[5:43] It didn't matter to Paul what it was. Death was working in him. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2.10, Paul said, I am willing to suffer anything for the people of God.
[5:59] I'm willing to suffer anything to get the gospel of people that are going to accept Christ. I'm willing to do anything. I will suffer anything because death works in me. It's this tremendous love for the risen Lord Jesus and what he's done in Paul's life that gives him the power to suffer for Christ.
[6:15] Things are going wrong in his life. Things aren't always working out. It doesn't seem to have all the glorious things that you might happen, all the peace and the prosperity and the health and the wealth that you might have suspected.
[6:27] But Paul said, hey, I'm not about life. I'm about death because I'm about getting Jesus there, whatever the cost is. Look at verse 13. Look at the second thing he says. He says in verse 13 that he has a clear, strong faith, that he knows that God that raised Jesus will raise us up also.
[6:43] Verse 13. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe 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 and shall present us with you.
[7:01] Look what he said. I know death works in us and I know death is the end and I know death is coming. He said, but I got this. I got this confidence. I got this faith. I got this trust. I know that God raised Jesus from the dead and I know God's going to raise us up.
[7:15] And I know this isn't all there is. I know life isn't over when I die. I know God has this much bigger perspective. So Paul was compelled to preach. How could you not preach it?
[7:26] If you really believe that there is more to life than this, if you really believe it's more than crying in your beer, if you really believe it's more than your 401k, if you really believe it's more than you're building a house and a nest and taking care of your children, if you really believe, how could you not preach it?
[7:40] Paul said, I can't help but preach it. First Corinthians chapter nine and verse 16. Paul said, whoa, he said, he said, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of for necessity is laid upon me.
[7:51] Whoa is me. If I preach not the gospel was like, man, I got to tell people, I got to tell people this is real. It's not what you see. It's not where you're living. There's something real.
[8:03] I have a question for you. Is the reason you lack conviction in your conversations because you lack conviction in your heart? The apostle Paul was like, I know. I know that there's a Lord.
[8:14] I know there's a heaven. I know there's an eternity. I know there's a hell. I know that Jesus died on the cross. I know that Jesus was buried. I know that Jesus rose again. And I must speak because I believe that that same God will raise me up also.
[8:29] So since Paul believed that God raised Jesus from the dead, death didn't have power for Paul. Paul was unafraid of death. He was unafraid of its threats. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, Paul is about to die.
[8:44] He knows very likely that in just a few minutes he will lose his head. He knows that in just a few minutes he will be put to death. And he writes a letter to Paul. He writes a letter to Paul.
[8:55] 2 Timothy 4, 6. I am now ready. I am now ready to be offered. And the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight.
[9:07] I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. And henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. Which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto all them that also love his appearing.
[9:20] See, Paul was like, if you got your Bible open. Or if you got a sheet of paper, would you write this down and check it out? Look at the words Paul used for dying. I mean, he didn't even use the horrible words that we would use.
[9:31] He didn't use the end of life or no longer existing. He said, I'm ready to be offered. I'm ready to be offered. I'm willing to give my life as a sacrifice. Then he said, the time of my departure is at hand.
[9:42] I'm just leaving here. He didn't say the end of my life is near. He said, the time of my departure is here. You see, in the Bible, if you believe the word of God, and if you're a born again Christian, you know that death's not the end of it.
[9:56] As a Christian, you know that when we die, there's life after death. Fact is, we won't experience one second in the grave. We won't experience one second in the casket.
[10:06] We won't be laying in a casket when they shut that lid. Have you ever been in one of those funerals? And when they go to pull that lid down and close that lid on the cadaver and the people go crazy? Because it's like you're closing my mama in.
[10:18] You're closing my daddy in. You're closing my wife in. Or they stick them in the grave. They put them under the ground and stick them in the niche. They're going crazy. We have a glorious future.
[10:30] Would you open your Bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4? I really wish you'd look these verses up. It's for you, and it'll help you. Look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 13. Paul's talking to the Thessalonian Christians.
[10:41] And Paul says, I would not have you to be ignorant. I don't want you guys to be unlearned and not knowledgeable about what God's got going on. Concerning them which are asleep. That's a nice word for them that are dead.
[10:52] He said some of them are dead. Rest in peace. They are dead. They're asleep. And he says that you sorrow not even as others which have no hope. Underline that.
[11:03] Hey, they sorrow because they have no hope. But we have a hope. And so we don't sorrow like them. We don't hurt like they hurt. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. That doesn't mean we're not going to miss the people we love.
[11:15] But we have a very glorious future. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 through 18. Let me give you a summary. You can look up the verses in just a little bit and read them when you get home. But here's what happens in verse 13.
[11:26] When a born again Christian dies. Before my body would ever hit the ground. I would be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what would be left here would be my body. So for me to die is to depart.
[11:38] For me to die is to leave here and to go there. And though my body may be laying on the ground. And my body may be in a very compromising position.
[11:51] Where I would be embarrassed if I were here. And everybody would be standing around. But I won't be here. And Paul said we go to be with Jesus. And here's what's going to happen in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Up in heaven.
[12:01] Up in heaven. Jesus. God. And all those that have died before. They're in heaven. They're in heaven. We're going to find out about that starting tonight. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5. We're going to find out a little bit about where they live.
[12:13] And the house they live in. And the body they live in. We'll find out a little bit about that. But all of a sudden they're in. We're in glory. And then one day. Those of us that are still living here on the planet. Before.
[12:24] Right before Jesus comes. And that could be today. All of a sudden God will step out. And he will say to Jesus. Go get them. And bring them home. Go get yours. And bring them back. Go get those that have accepted you.
[12:36] Those that have placed their faith in Christ. And placed their faith in you. And bring them home. And the Bible says. That those of us that are already in heaven. Or those that have died. And are already in heaven. He will bring them with him.
[12:48] They will come down in the clouds. God will say. The voice of the archangel will sound. The trump of the Lord will sound. And he will call up all the born again Christians. And we will leave this planet.
[13:00] We will ascend and be in the heavens. And the clouds. And our bodies will go up with us. And they will be changed and transformed. And then we will always be with the Lord. Lord. So boy doesn't that sound crazy. Some of you are going.
[13:11] I ain't never heard such. I had no idea all that was going. But that's a clear Bible teaching. Talk to any of the Christians. Have been studying their Bible a long time. They're going to tell you. That's a clear Bible teaching. Here's what's going to happen. You die.
[13:22] Your body goes in the ground. But you don't if you're a born again Christian. Fact is. It doesn't matter who you are. If you die. Your body goes in the ground. But you go somewhere else. Life never ends.
[13:33] Ever for anybody. Some will spend eternity in hell. And some will spend eternity in heaven. Some will be in a place of punishment. And some will be in a place of blessing. And that's what's going on.
[13:44] And Paul said. Man I've got a glorious future. I know what's going to happen to me. And the fact is. When some of our Christian brothers die. Yes be sorry. Yes hurt. Yes love them. But don't you sorrow like others that have no hope.
[13:56] Can I tell you what's going to happen to us? You see. That's a whole different perspective. Isn't it? Most people are like. Well they died. It's over. Everything. Everything has a limited lifespan. Everybody will come to an end of their life someday.
[14:07] But you and I will never come to the end of our life. And leaving this place is a departure. To a far better place. For us. First Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13. Read all the way down through there.
[14:19] The third thing I want you to look at. Go down to verse 15 with me if you would. Second Corinthians chapter 4. And verse 15. Now listen to this.
[14:34] Paul's been going through all kinds of problems. He's been put in jail. He's had beatings. He's been hungry. He has been a shipwreck. He's been bitten by snakes. I mean he's had all kinds of problems.
[14:45] Trying to get the gospel to people. And trying to help Christians grow in the Lord. But he said man this is so important. You see I have this truth to share with you. And I have all this. And when you find this out.
[14:56] You're going to be so excited. You're going to be thanking God. You're going to find out that there's much more to life than just dying. You're going to find out that there's something beyond the cancer. You're going to find out there's something beyond the death of your spouse.
[15:06] You're going to find out that life is forever. And you're going to be so excited. And you're going to. There will be thanksgiving. And it will make God's glory be very big. So Paul said man I've got to teach it. Paul said I do this for Jesus.
[15:18] I bear about it in my body. The dying of the Lord Jesus. I talk about that. But I do it for you. Because when you find out these truths. It is going to excite you. It's going to ignite your life. It's going to thrill you to know that there is life beyond the grave.
[15:32] It's going to thrill you to know that Jesus died for you. It's going to thrill you to know that all your sins are forgiven. It's going to thrill you to know what God's got prepared for you. And Paul said man I can't wait to tell you that. I'm excited to share the truth with you.
[15:45] Paul suffered not only for Jesus but for the saints. He knew that God's grace would cause thanksgiving. How many of you are thankful because your sins are forgiven say amen. How many of you when we sing those songs like the group was singing just a few minutes ago.
[15:58] How many of you in your heart say boy I'm excited because I know that I will stand before the king. And I know that I am saved. And I know that I am forgiven. And I know that I have eternal life. Does that excite you say amen if it does. Does it excite you to know.
[16:10] Does it excite you to know that God has prepared all of eternity for you. Forever and ever and ever. The most meaningful wonderful fantastic amount of life that you could ever imagine.
[16:21] Far beyond anything that goes on here. Does that not excite you say amen if it does. Watch this. Paul said man I knew it would. I knew it would. I knew that every religion brought you death. I knew that every religion brought you chains and bondage.
[16:33] And I brought you the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. So then Paul takes us right down to the real stuff. Now you ready for this? Man we go through some hard stuff don't we? But as born again Christians.
[16:46] Our inward man is renewed day by day. Look if you would in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16. Look at your Bible. You need this. This will excite you and bless you.
[16:56] Verse 16. For which cause we faint not. We don't give up. We don't get cowardly. We don't run away. We don't lose hope. We don't get to a suicidal point. Because even if our outward man perish.
[17:08] Our outward man dies. This body dies. Our inward man is renewed day by day. You see here's the deal. If you depending on how much life you've had.
[17:21] You have figured out something. Your hair starts turning loose or turning gray. You figured out something. That joints that never hurt before start hurting now. You figured out something that.
[17:32] You know I had another eye appointment this week. And you know I go in there. And I can remember when I didn't need glasses for anything. And I said to him. It seems that my eyes are getting worse. He said. What's the natural thing with age? Don't worry about it.
[17:43] I'm going to punch you one right now. Amen. But you start realizing that your outward man. You start realizing your outward man has all kind of problems. And Paul realized that.
[17:53] And Paul said this. Hey there's an outward man I got. That's the body you're looking at. But I got an inward man on the inside. And that inward man is renewed day by day. It was Paul's faith in God.
[18:04] That helped him not to faint. That's what will help you not to faint. Paul said in Acts chapter 20 verse 24. He said. None of these things move me. Neither count I my life dear unto me.
[18:16] So that I might finish my course with joy. And the ministry which I've received of the Lord Jesus. To testify the gospel of the grace of God. Paul said. My inner man is renewed.
[18:26] Paul said. I know this is true. Because I believe him. I don't even. I'm not hanging on to this life. I'm not grabbing a hold of this life. And holding on to it. I don't even count this life as precious or dear to me.
[18:37] Because I know there's something more. I just want to do God's will. For me. And my life. Today. God. You need to allow God to renew your strength. You need to allow God to renew your strength.
[18:49] As you get older. As you have problems. As your family members die. As sickness comes in. We need something. That this world cannot provide for us. We need something. No psychologist. No philosopher.
[18:59] And no medical doctor can provide for us. We need what only God does for us. Bible says in Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 28. Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard?
[19:10] That the everlasting God. The God who lasts forever. The God who had no beginning and has no end. The Lord. The King. The Boss. The Creator. The God who made us. Who made the whole ends of the earth.
[19:20] He faints not. Neither is he weary. You can't understand him. There's no searching of his understanding. You could never get to the bottom of what he knows. And what he understands. It's kind of like that bug on the windshield.
[19:32] He may be looking through the windshield. Looking at me. And he said look at that guy in there. That's a really big bug driving this. I don't know what it is. We're going down the road. I don't know what's going on here. But you know he could never understand my word.
[19:43] You don't understand God. In verse 39 he said. He. God. Gives power to the faint. He gives. And to them that have no might. No strength. No power to go on.
[19:55] He gives strength. God says I know you're having problems. And I know you're hurting. And I will give you strength. Even the youth. Even the young people. They will be faint. They shall faint.
[20:06] And they will be weary. And the young men. Shall utterly fail. Verse 31. But they that wait upon the Lord. Shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
[20:18] They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Paul. Paul's got that exact same thing going on in his life. Paul said man. My outward body may be dying. But my inner body is growing stronger and stronger.
[20:29] And you know what it is. He believes God. You know what it is. He waits on God. And this morning. And that's where you are. What are you facing? What issues are going on in your life? What things are like life ending, life threatening?
[20:40] I mean horrible, shocking things that are going on in your life. Wait on the Lord. Look to him and gain strength for him. Paul had problems and every reason to be discouraged.
[20:50] But Paul believed that the God who raised Jesus from the dead would raise him up. Paul was like, hey guys, don't worry. If I die, it won't be long.
[21:01] If I die, it won't be forever. The same God who raised Jesus up will raise me up and you up. Paul believed that the worship of God was worth whatever it cost. Paul believed that God's people were worthy of his sacrifice.
[21:14] Paul did suffer on the outside. His outward man, his body. But Paul was growing and being renewed more and more every day. We worry too much about the outside and not enough about the inside.
[21:30] Most of us this morning spent a lot of time painting up a body that will soon be dead. Most of us are very concerned about our physical condition. How's our heart doing? How's our cholesterol?
[21:40] And by the way, no problem with it. That's fine. But here's what the Bible would say. Much more important than what's on the outside is what's on the inside. This body's coming to you. By the way, you know, you can take a young lady in her late teens or early 20s.
[21:54] But take her 50 years later. They don't have enough makeup to make her look like she's still 18. Can you say amen right there? So the outward man, the outward man ought not be the issue for us.
[22:09] Now watch this for Christians. This is a wild thought that Paul said. Paul said problems work for us. Look at that. Look at that verse 17. Paul said problems work for us.
[22:21] Verse 17. He said for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. He said it works for us.
[22:31] Now let me just say he said light affliction. So you know what light affliction is. So you know what light affliction. When Paul said light affliction, you may say, what, do you have a mild headache? What, do you have a simple little easy problem?
[22:43] No, you know, they stripped his back bare and they whipped him with a rod. Gave him 39 licks. You know what? They stoned him and left him for dead. And when Paul said, let me add up all that's ever happened to me.
[22:55] All the things have gone wrong for me. The times I've been left for dead, the times I've gone hungry. And I'll just tell you that was only for a minute. That's only for a minute. That's only for a minute. It is a light affliction.
[23:07] It's not that big a deal. What's going on here? When I look at eternity and I see what's way out there and way beyond where I am. Problems work for us.
[23:18] Paul's problem caused him to draw closer to the Lord. Paul's problem caused him to draw closer to the Lord. Peter said the same thing in 1 Peter 5, verse 10. The God of all grace who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus.
[23:32] After that, you have suffered a while. Make you perfect or mature. Establish you, strengthen you, and settle you. In other words, God's letting trouble work in your life. You're going through issues and you're going through pain and you're hurting.
[23:45] And things aren't working out right. But it's really because you're too focused on the light affliction, a temporary thing. A moment, a moment in all of eternity. A moment in all of eternity.
[23:57] That made Paul realize that he couldn't trust himself. But only Jesus. Though his physical body might suffer, it was temporary anyway. All of his troubles were temporary ones.
[24:11] Each hurt, pain, problem drove him closer and closer to the Lord. Caused him to grow spiritually. Let me just stop for a second and say this to you. You ready for something? In the moment you're going through the most horrible problems you've ever had.
[24:25] In that moment you think life has no purpose. Life has no meaning. Because you're too focused on the thing that's happening right now. You're too focused on what's going on in your life right now. Can I just say to you that in a few years, you will look back and say, You know, it really didn't take that long to go through that.
[24:43] It wasn't that big a deal. It was only a moment. And that's in this lifetime. I can remember being a teenage boy and getting that letter from that girlfriend that dropped me like a hot potato. And thinking my world had come to an end.
[24:55] But I've been married for 39 years. I'll be honest with you. That doesn't even cause a small blip on my radar anymore. You know, just four months ago I found out I had cancer. And I mean, I didn't know what was going on.
[25:07] It's only been four months, but it's over. I had surgery. Everything's fine. And all of a sudden you're like, Well, that was kind of temporary. It was only for a moment.
[25:18] And that's exactly what Paul's saying. Those problems drive us to Christ. Where are you this morning? What's going on in your life? As a Christian, get a hold of this. It's not about the 80 years you're going to live on this planet.
[25:30] It's not about how much money you got in the bank. It's not about how things are going. It's about your relationship to Jesus Christ. These are light afflictions that are but for a moment. And they work for you. Because they show you that you can't, but God can.
[25:43] They help you realize how weak you are. It's amazing when you're 19 or when you're 15 to 25. Or 30. I don't know where it ends. You're invincible. You will never get sick.
[25:55] And you'll never have a problem. And you'll always win. And then you get a little older. And all of a sudden you're like, What happened to me? Things don't work out like they used to. And Paul would say to you, Those problems help you realize how much you need God.
[26:09] What's hurting you right now should be driving you to Him. But, verse 18, It only works if you get the right perspective. It only works if you get the right perspective.
[26:21] Look at verse 18, if you will. While we look not at the things which are seen, But things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, temporary. But the things which are not seen are eternal.
[26:34] And Paul stopped and he said, Look, guys. He said, Everything I see. Do you remember when you got that first new car you had? Do you remember that first new?
[26:44] I'm talking about the first one you had. Do you older guys? The first one you had, It was like, Man, this car will last me a lifetime. But it didn't. It didn't.
[26:56] Do you remember that new house you had? And there was everything was going good with it. And all of a sudden now, You're like, Man, even the toilets don't flush right. You've got to constantly be doing maintenance on this place.
[27:06] What he's saying is you've got to get the right perspective. You've got to realize that there's more to that. It's the temporary. It's the temporary. Everything in this room Will soon be gone.
[27:19] Including us. It is amazing to drive back home to your hometown. Where you graduated from high school in 1972. First off, The beauty queen Is no longer a beauty queen.
[27:34] Have you ever noticed that? How many of you have noticed that same man? When you go home and you look at it and you're like, Wow! You were a knockout. Now you're a 10 ton Tetsy. Come home. Excuse me.
[27:46] I'm a fat enough guy. I can say that. You go home and you look at that. That man had that big mansion of a house. And you look down and you say, Well, there ain't that big of a house in you. I remember that house being so big.
[27:57] And all of a sudden, Everything loses. But when we see today's problems as having a long-term hurt, We're going to hurt. But when we see them as temporary and a tool to take me to maturity, They're going to be a blessing.
[28:12] God is at work in your life. Get a hold of an eternal perspective. Get a hold of this temporary. And it doesn't count. We're being called to focus in on what's of real value.
[28:25] Where do you focus this morning? What do you value the most? What do I value the most? What things count? Paul said, It's a temporary light affliction.
[28:37] It's only for a moment. But there's an eternal weight of glory. Paul said, All the problems and heartaches I have, They work for me. So here's some just ideas that you might take home with you today. Why don't you decide that there's no price too high to pay for the Lord Jesus?
[28:54] Amazingly, oftentimes, because we only focus on this life right here, Our money is almost 100% used for now. And we maybe tip God. In fact, we tip the waiter at the restaurant more than we do our God.
[29:07] We don't see the eternal. We see the temporary. Hey, we focus on fixing a body that is soon going to die anyway. Hey, by the way, if you get a hold of eternity, Being faithful to God and faithful to his church will become a moot point Because you'll be like, No, that's eternity.
[29:23] That's of real value. Most of us would value a day at work more than we would an hour in the house of God. Because we don't see things in eternal light. We see them in a temporary light.
[29:33] That means that my time and my talents and my treasure are not really mine. I will serve the God of heaven. Realize that as you serve in this church and you serve at that nursing home Or you serve in a Sunday school class or you take care of children And it may look like a small thing to you That any sacrifice you make for serving the people of God Is worthwhile.
[29:54] It has eternal consequences. Be willing to speak up for Jesus. Be willing to speak up for Jesus. Really believe that there is victory in Jesus And serving him is worth it.
[30:07] Really, there is victory in Jesus. There is eternal life. The Bible is true. And it's worth it to serve Jesus. God's strength God gives strength every day for us to serve him.
[30:19] We ought to focus on things that are of real value. Realize that every problem is God approved And God will work in us through it. Let me just finish. I started out with a bug on your windshield And that bug on your windshield Goes down the road And all of a sudden ends up in another place And a whole new life.
[30:37] Well, far greater than that is You find out there is more to life than this. You find out that life is far bigger Than anything you've ever dreamed of. And you find out that God has an eternal purpose in your life.
[30:48] And these little things that we're going through And these problems, these heartaches In our family, with our children, with our health And all of those things are temporary. We look at death and we see it as a horrible thing. And Paul looked at it and said It's a departure from this life to be with the Lord Jesus.
[31:01] Because Paul said, death's not off the table because I love Jesus. Because Paul got a new perspective. Paul realized there was more to life than what I see. There's more to life than what I can touch and what I feel.
[31:13] There's an unseen world out there And it's really out there. There really is a God And there really is a heaven And there really is a hell There really is eternity. And this life is temporary. And when you get that perspective It's going to change your life.
[31:26] It's going to change everything about you. It's going to change the way you wake up in the morning. It's going to change the way you manage your money. It's going to change the way you manage your time. It's going to change the way you use your talents. It's going to change everything about you Because you're going to realize This world is not my home.
[31:41] I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up for me somewhere beyond the blue. You're going to find out this world's not your home. You don't belong here. There's a great God and a great call And a great purpose in your life.
[31:53] Paul said, hey I am going through some rough times. I have been beaten and I have been left for dead. And I have been stoned until they left me for dead. My body was broken and battered. But that's just a light affliction.
[32:05] A temporary affliction. A temporary thing that only affects me for a minute. Because there is an eternal glory with God forever. And that's what I'm looking at.
[32:15] Are you born again? Do you know that you'll go to heaven when you die? Do you have the hope of Jesus Christ? Praise the God of heaven. You have hope. Praise the God of heaven that when life ends for you It doesn't end for you.
[32:29] It only really begins. Praise the Lord that when death comes It's only a departure. And an arrival at a greater place And a greater time for you. If you're a born again Christian Realize that even the problems and heartaches You're going through right now God is at work in your life.
[32:44] God is at work in your life. Get a hold of an eternal value. Not a temporary value. Change the way you see things. Get the right perspective.
[32:54] Look at Jesus in glory. And that will bring great peace to your life. It will help you. If you're not born again. If you're not saved. If you don't know the Lord Jesus You too will live forever.
[33:08] Not one person lives temporarily. Not one person lives 80 to 100 years Or 120 years and dies and it's over. Nobody. Every human being who dies Will spend eternity in the presence of God Or away from God.
[33:20] In heaven or in hell. In blessing and all the fantastic things He's prepared for us. Or in torment. Every person. If you're not born again today I challenge you.
[33:32] Trust Jesus. Today look to him and say I want Jesus. I look for him to work in my life. I want to be born again. I want to be saved. And let somebody take the Bible And show you how to put your faith in Christ.
[33:43] Because let me explain something. Everything you see is temporary. It will soon be gone. And temporary will fade away. And eternal will come into view.
[33:55] And you will find out. That it was. But a moment. In history. When you lived. Father in heaven I love you. And I praise you. And I magnify you. I pray that you would save people this morning.
[34:07] I pray that you would deal with hearts. I pray that you would draw people to you. I pray that your name would be glorified and magnified. God. I pray God that you would show your power in a rich way to us. I pray God that you would save somebody who's not saved.
[34:18] I pray you'd help Christians to trust you. And I would give you all honor and glory and praise for all that you do in our lives. God show your power. You have been listening to Austin Gardner. Pastor of Vision Baptist Church.
[34:30] For contact information. Location. Service times. Or more audio and video recordings. Log on to www.visionbaptist.com Another option.
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