WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.540 I wonder where you keep your most prized possessions. 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:10.880 I'm certain that wherever you put it, you try to make it a safe place, 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:14.380 the safest possible place that you can find or buy. 00:00:16.080 --> 00:00:22.539 My country, Albania, placed its most prized possessions, 00:00:22.740 --> 00:00:26.679 which is the national treasure, in a forbidden mountain, 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:30.899 in a tunnel, impregnable, with guards. 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:33.840 Nobody knew where it was. 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:35.399 It was a state secret. 00:00:36.619 --> 00:00:40.019 And no one could get near to it without being shot. 00:00:41.980 --> 00:00:47.679 24 years ago, however, we had the so-called troubles, 00:00:48.340 --> 00:00:52.320 just like in Ireland, where the state ceased to exist. 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:55.960 And at that moment, you know exactly what happened. 00:00:55.960 --> 00:01:00.140 24 years ago, within the space of two days, 00:01:00.859 --> 00:01:06.840 the Albanian national treasure, a whole nation's wealth, was stolen, 00:01:07.819 --> 00:01:10.040 broken into, taken away. 00:01:10.859 --> 00:01:12.920 The tunnel left an empty shell. 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:20.719 What we are going to see today is that God does something counterintuitive. 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:27.340 He stores his most valuable treasure in the unlikeliest of places, 00:01:27.340 --> 00:01:30.340 in plain sight, 00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:35.400 and in the most insignificant vessels. 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:38.780 And yet, no one can steal it. 00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:40.859 No one can destroy it. 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:43.319 Because of God's power. 00:01:43.319 --> 00:01:50.579 We are going to focus today in the letter that Apostle Paul sent to the Corinthians. 00:01:51.019 --> 00:01:53.439 He had sent perhaps a series of letters, 00:01:53.619 --> 00:01:56.119 the first of which we know as 1 Corinthians. 00:01:56.599 --> 00:01:58.079 This is the 2 Corinthians. 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:02.379 Perhaps the 2nd or the 3rd, and some say the 4th letter that is sent to them. 00:02:03.539 --> 00:02:05.939 These were people that he had evangelized, 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.120 he had brought to Christ himself a while ago. 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:14.780 And we are going to focus in a different passage today. 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:20.180 I apologize for the miscommunication with Pastor Graham, 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:22.819 but we are going to focus on verses 7 to 12. 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:30.400 And we are going to see three things that Paul actually tells us about this treasure and its vessels. 00:02:30.939 --> 00:02:32.800 And the first thing is simply this. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:36.620 What are we who believe in him? 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:45.200 We are insignificant vessels of invaluable value. 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:53.040 Insignificant vessels of inestimable value. 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:56.680 And secondly, we are going to see proof for it. 00:02:57.319 --> 00:02:59.200 Paul gives us proof, and the proof is this. 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:04.039 Against all odds, you will resist. 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:10.579 And thirdly, and finally, we are going to see the purpose of it all. 00:03:11.839 --> 00:03:15.719 You will win, and others will gain. 00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:19.799 Let's go to verse 7. 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:22.079 But we have this treasure. 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:26.659 Now, Paul says this treasure, so he must know what it is. 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:28.479 He must have said what it is, and it does. 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:31.739 Just a bit earlier, I will explain briefly. 00:03:32.239 --> 00:03:35.319 Just a few sentences earlier, he explains what the treasure is. 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:38.219 He explains it from the history of Moses. 00:03:38.899 --> 00:03:44.739 Moses, as you might know from the Old Testament, would go into this particular tent, sometimes daily, 00:03:44.859 --> 00:03:46.259 and he would speak with the Lord. 00:03:46.679 --> 00:03:49.199 And that was a very personal encounter. 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:55.459 And because of that personal encounter with the Lord, which the Old Testament calls it face-to-face communication, 00:03:56.239 --> 00:04:04.179 after Moses would go out of the tent, his face would shine because of that glory that was the Lord's presence. 00:04:04.180 --> 00:04:12.879 However, that glory would soon fade away from his face, so that the people would not be distracted, therefore, from his message. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:21.220 After he left the meeting, Moses would put a veil on his face until the glory disappeared. 00:04:21.220 --> 00:04:25.680 And Paul says, look, there is a parable in this true story. 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:35.120 And that is that the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, was only a foretaste of something much better, much bigger to come, of a lasting glory. 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:38.180 And that is, he said, Jesus Christ. 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:45.079 However, when Jesus Christ came, many Jews still did not believe. 00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:47.459 The veil, he says, still remained on their eyes. 00:04:47.540 --> 00:04:50.160 They are like blind people. 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:56.160 And not only them, but even those who are not Jews and have heard the gospel and do not believe. 00:04:56.480 --> 00:05:00.939 A veil still remains on their faces, and he calls them, they are blind. 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:08.779 Because there is a force in this planet, some people call it impersonal, and Christians call it personal, and that's called the devil. 00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:15.379 And he is the God of those who do not believe in the true God. 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:25.659 And he says, the only way that the blind can see the light is when they see the face of Christ. 00:05:25.660 --> 00:05:31.220 And he says, the face of Christ is actually the light that we have been waiting for to see. 00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:35.320 The light of the knowledge of God's glory. 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:38.840 And he says, that's the treasure. 00:05:40.080 --> 00:05:45.160 Now, it's a treasure that we carry to give to the world. 00:05:45.700 --> 00:05:48.580 But we have this treasure in jars of clay. 00:05:49.379 --> 00:05:51.820 We are insignificant vessels. 00:05:52.400 --> 00:05:53.560 We are jars of clay. 00:05:53.560 --> 00:06:03.500 Now, Paul is playing a pun of words here because we people are made of earth, of earthen elements. 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:11.319 Now, in the period that Paul was living, as you may have seen, there were the so-called amphoras, 00:06:11.579 --> 00:06:14.439 the huge jars or the small jars in Corinth. 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:17.860 And some of them were intricately decorated. 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:19.459 They were beautiful sometimes. 00:06:19.459 --> 00:06:26.319 However, if they were made of clay, they were not made to last for long. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:34.319 That's why you had jars or vessels of silver or of other kinds of metal, bronze or even gold. 00:06:35.779 --> 00:06:38.159 And the jars of clay were not the most important ones. 00:06:38.539 --> 00:06:44.279 They were not the ones where you would actually put all of your treasures in because they were easily broken. 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:50.339 They wouldn't last and the treasure would spill or they would be easily taken away. 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:57.239 Now, we are jars of clay, Paul says. 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:00.199 And that's where God has put his treasure. 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:07.319 And the treasure, as I said, is a message about a person who represents God himself, and that's Christ. 00:07:08.460 --> 00:07:11.939 And it's that person himself that we carry within us. 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:14.379 And that will not be stolen away. 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:19.519 And that is a message that, by the way, is against the culture of this world. 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:28.159 Because, just like back then and now, we are bombarded with different messages from the culture. 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:30.719 Sometimes two disparate kind of messages. 00:07:30.899 --> 00:07:31.839 And one of them is this. 00:07:32.740 --> 00:07:33.839 It's all about you. 00:07:34.359 --> 00:07:36.000 It's all about your well-being. 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:38.779 It's all about you. 00:07:38.819 --> 00:07:41.899 You are the most priceless treasure. 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:44.240 And you should take care of yourself. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:54.860 And that was the message, in a sense, that was, whether intentionally or not, in Paul's day, portrayed by the so-called sophists. 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:56.460 But not only them. 00:07:56.620 --> 00:08:00.540 It was a culture where the spectacular was celebrated. 00:08:01.460 --> 00:08:05.819 And you can see that in the first letter of Corinthians as well. 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:10.240 The Corinthians, even after coming to Christ, they were still very much part of their culture, 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:13.800 in which they enjoyed listening to beautiful words. 00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:20.860 People who actually had the best rhetoric in the land, they would also be the most rewarded. 00:08:21.139 --> 00:08:24.400 With success, with honor from all people. 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:26.900 They were like the Hollywood actors of today. 00:08:27.340 --> 00:08:30.519 And they were also rich because of the patronage they received. 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:35.080 Because, like crowdfunding today, if you have a convincing message, you get the most of money. 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:39.240 And, of course, that was what a good leader should be like. 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:48.340 Charismatic, nice-looking, rich, of good honor, of a good upbringing, good family. 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:51.120 And that's what they were seeking. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:54.080 This kind of glory, this kind of shine. 00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:57.980 And the other message was, again, disparate. 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:00.600 And, again, we'll see that Paul actually speaks about it. 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:04.139 And that's stoicism, which has made quite a comeback today. 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:11.559 And it's the opposite of the message of the culture that says, it's all about you. 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:15.679 The Stoics realized that life is tough. 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:17.179 That life is chaos. 00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:20.500 And you have to somehow face it. 00:09:20.699 --> 00:09:22.439 And you can only do so bravely. 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:28.259 Because if you do it bravely, you give a good message not only to yourself, but also to those around you. 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:37.399 And, after all, if this life is what all there is, even if there are gods, or perhaps even if there aren't gods, this life is all it is. 00:09:37.460 --> 00:09:38.200 So, you know what? 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:42.779 Let's face the chaos of this life with the bravest way we can. 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:47.939 That's the message of stoicism. 00:09:48.980 --> 00:09:52.740 And Paul sees that both of these are flawed. 00:09:52.740 --> 00:10:00.180 And so, today, he starts by saying, we are insignificant vessels. 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:02.860 You are not the treasure. 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:05.600 You are the pot. 00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:07.980 If you're a Christian, you're a vessel. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.820 You're not the priceless treasure. 00:10:13.019 --> 00:10:15.039 You're an insignificant vessel. 00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:18.460 However, because of the treasure, we have this treasure. 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:19.539 We have been given it. 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:23.299 We are also of inestimable value. 00:10:26.319 --> 00:10:33.459 Now, he says, we have all of this to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 00:10:34.959 --> 00:10:37.339 Now, we can see why God is doing what he's doing. 00:10:37.500 --> 00:10:39.939 We can see why he's choosing the weakest of vessels. 00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:42.279 Because he's trying to make a point to the world. 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:50.759 Whatever this gospel is, whatever this good news is, it only has power not because of me, the speaker, or you, the Christian. 00:10:51.539 --> 00:10:52.919 It's because of God himself. 00:10:53.539 --> 00:11:02.459 So, the more insignificant and weak the vessel, the more everyone will know that this power is not from us. 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:03.500 It's from God. 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:09.980 And he calls it an all-surpassing power, which in Greek is like hyperbole. 00:11:10.100 --> 00:11:13.419 Hyperbole, which actually would mean an incomparable power. 00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:20.159 A power that cannot be defeated. 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:25.659 And he gives proof for it. 00:11:26.839 --> 00:11:31.939 Brother and sister, you're not the most prized possession in the world. 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:38.860 Yet, you become one because of what you carry within you, this wonderful treasure. 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:44.800 But you're not meant to carry this weight for yourself. 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:50.240 And Paul gives a list of four theses and antitheses here. 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:51.519 Four examples. 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:53.360 Four pieces of proof. 00:11:55.340 --> 00:12:00.019 That we are weak, but we are invincible because of God's power. 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:04.879 We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:05.860 Verse 8. 00:12:05.860 --> 00:12:10.500 You can feel like, do you remember those movies? 00:12:10.659 --> 00:12:14.879 I mean, movies are always based on the worst nightmares of human experience. 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:16.600 Because they actually happen in your life. 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:21.919 And in one of those movies, you see like the walls of a person who is seeking for a treasure. 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:23.639 He gets into a pyramid or whatever. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:25.759 And suddenly, he makes a mistake. 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:27.500 And the walls are closing in. 00:12:28.060 --> 00:12:29.740 And there is no way to escape. 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:33.180 And the adrenaline goes off the roof. 00:12:33.180 --> 00:12:34.960 And yet, he doesn't know what to do. 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:37.480 We're like that. 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:41.580 We're hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed. 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:44.779 The first part is, we are insignificant vessels. 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:45.500 We are weak. 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:46.500 We are frail. 00:12:46.800 --> 00:12:47.879 We're human beings. 00:12:48.180 --> 00:12:49.460 Paul is not denying that. 00:12:49.800 --> 00:12:52.399 And by the way, Paul is talking about himself. 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:55.560 And he says, however, we are not crushed. 00:12:55.559 --> 00:13:04.939 Somehow, the strangest thing happens in Paul's life as he was speaking the word, as he was being persecuted, as he was being hated. 00:13:06.079 --> 00:13:09.659 Somehow, he was not crushed. 00:13:10.339 --> 00:13:12.759 He was kept by the Lord. 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:16.399 We're perplexed, but not in despair. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.000 In Greek, these two words are very similar. 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:24.259 And the idea is this, that we're perplexed. 00:13:24.299 --> 00:13:25.039 We're confounded. 00:13:25.220 --> 00:13:26.580 Somehow, we're not confounded. 00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:27.819 We're perplexed. 00:13:27.819 --> 00:13:29.819 And yet, we're not in total despair. 00:13:30.259 --> 00:13:32.659 We are at a loss, but not at a total loss. 00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:35.799 I am at a loss, but I'm not a loser somehow. 00:13:35.799 --> 00:13:43.259 Now, this speaks to the sincerity of Paul about what he's going through. 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:45.159 He's not lying about who he is. 00:13:45.859 --> 00:13:52.819 And the message of the Stoics was, we should find a way to kind of get an inner peace. 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:59.719 They call it ataraxia, which is like an indifference in the face of everything that comes your way. 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:04.620 But Paul is saying, look, I'm perplexed. 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:06.139 I do not deny this. 00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:10.600 As a Christian, don't you wonder about life often? 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:13.159 Especially because you're a Christian. 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:18.100 Because we know that there is suffering, and yet there is a good God. 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:24.279 And when you do the right thing, and somehow you still suffer, and you see the evil prosper, 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:27.480 you still ask yourself the question, Lord, until when? 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.460 Or when you're faced with a difficult situation in your life, 00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:36.860 whether it is in your career, in your school, in your life, in your marriage, 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:40.840 you at some point become perplexed. 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:42.180 What is going on here? 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:45.280 Especially if I'm doing your work, O Lord. 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:48.339 And yet, we're not lost. 00:14:48.459 --> 00:14:51.240 Somehow, we're not in total despair. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.199 But that's not because of Paul again. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:58.459 It is because of the all-surpassing power of God. 00:14:58.659 --> 00:15:04.539 Somehow, especially in your weakness, you see his strength. 00:15:04.539 --> 00:15:07.459 And thirdly, persecuted, but not abandoned. 00:15:09.959 --> 00:15:10.939 A hunted animal. 00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:13.799 You can actually see it in your mind. 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:20.000 A hunted animal, or a prey, or even a hunted human being who is fleeing from his executors. 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:25.419 Like the mob is trying to chase them, and that's what happened with the early Christians. 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:29.219 They were trying to find Paul, get him, and get him killed. 00:15:30.479 --> 00:15:32.740 That is the picture that he was going through. 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:34.379 Thankfully, we're not going through that. 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:40.779 However, as you, all of you here know, we're still persecuted to this day 00:15:40.779 --> 00:15:42.979 because of the treasure that is in us. 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:47.479 And somehow, I'm not abandoned, he says. 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:48.620 And it's not a feeling. 00:15:49.099 --> 00:15:52.179 The first part is what you feel when you're persecuted. 00:15:52.179 --> 00:15:54.599 The second part is what God does. 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:57.359 It's not because of Paul's courage. 00:15:58.739 --> 00:16:00.319 God does not abandon us. 00:16:01.219 --> 00:16:03.139 Struck down, but not destroyed. 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:07.019 And you can easily see what Paul is talking about here. 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:11.279 Perhaps a wrestler who was thrown down on the floor. 00:16:11.739 --> 00:16:14.539 And when that normally happened, that was the end of the match. 00:16:14.839 --> 00:16:16.839 Or worse yet, it was the gladiators. 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:21.719 Suddenly, you were struck down by your opponent. 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:23.379 You find yourself on the ground. 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:30.340 And a few seconds later, as you hear the cheers from the crowd, 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:34.300 as you see the thumb of the main person, 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:37.700 it could have been the governor or the emperor, going like this, 00:16:38.420 --> 00:16:40.420 that was the end of you. 00:16:41.160 --> 00:16:44.440 And that's exactly what we often feel in life, Paul says. 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:47.420 We see the sword on our throat. 00:16:50.900 --> 00:16:52.660 But we are not destroyed. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:17:00.500 Every single day, in our worst issues, problems, and difficulties, and suffering, 00:17:00.680 --> 00:17:06.519 somehow, we marvel at the fact that we're still here. 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:09.879 We're still resisting against all odds. 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:11.480 And it's not because of me. 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:13.740 It's not because of you. 00:17:14.139 --> 00:17:15.980 It's because of the treasure we carry. 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.559 And because of the power of God that keeps us, 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:21.519 that cannot be destroyed 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:25.799 by anyone or anything in the world. 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:31.539 So, can I tell you something, brothers and sisters? 00:17:31.919 --> 00:17:35.200 Do not fear if you feel insecure. 00:17:36.859 --> 00:17:39.240 If you feel that you don't have all the gifts 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:44.519 to give to the world the best possible explanation of the gospel. 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:49.839 If you don't feel that your mind is strong enough 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:52.700 to stand against a very smart opponent 00:17:52.700 --> 00:17:55.819 who is an atheist, for example, at your workplace. 00:17:56.519 --> 00:17:58.940 Or if you just feel that you're too much of a sinner. 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:01.879 Lord, I cannot do this. 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.660 You say to yourself, Lord, I cannot do this. 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.099 I feel myself as an imposter in your family. 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:10.819 I don't know why I'm standing. 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:12.240 How can I speak to others? 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:13.460 How can I live for you? 00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:17.259 Now, that's exactly what Paul is countering here. 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:20.319 He is no Stoic philosopher. 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.759 And that's exactly what he's saying. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:25.240 The Stoics would have said this. 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:27.420 We are hard-pressed on every side, 00:18:28.180 --> 00:18:32.200 but invincible. 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:38.299 We are perplexed, but somehow courageous. 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:42.480 We are persecuted, but unflinching. 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:46.640 Struck down, but defiant. 00:18:47.840 --> 00:18:49.180 That's not what Paul is saying. 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:51.039 The first part is what we feel, 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:54.700 what we live as human beings. 00:18:55.579 --> 00:18:57.519 The second part is what God does. 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:00.299 So don't feel afraid of who you are, 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:02.200 of the flaws you have, 00:19:03.340 --> 00:19:06.620 of the time in your life where you are right now 00:19:06.619 --> 00:19:09.739 and you feel that you're not doing what you can in your Christian life. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:14.039 God chose you as a vessel to serve Him, 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:15.279 to carry His treasure. 00:19:15.479 --> 00:19:17.719 And He chose you as an earthen vessel 00:19:17.719 --> 00:19:20.739 so that we can rely on Him, 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:22.039 not on our power. 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:24.299 There is nothing to boast about us, 00:19:24.679 --> 00:19:26.099 nothing to boast about me, 00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:29.359 but there is everything to hope because of Him, 00:19:30.639 --> 00:19:32.240 because of His power, 00:19:32.439 --> 00:19:35.199 because in your worst weakness, 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.279 He will show His strongest power 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:40.379 and everyone will see it. 00:19:40.380 --> 00:19:44.680 I remember somebody saying once 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:46.280 about a young man's sermon, 00:19:47.080 --> 00:19:48.800 that young man wasn't me, 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:50.700 but it could have been me. 00:19:51.080 --> 00:19:51.620 He said, 00:19:52.280 --> 00:19:53.880 His heart is not yet broken, 00:19:54.080 --> 00:19:55.040 something is missing. 00:19:55.940 --> 00:19:57.480 After he has suffered a while, 00:19:57.760 --> 00:20:00.040 he will have a message worth listening to. 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:02.300 So don't worry if you're suffering. 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:03.580 Don't hide it. 00:20:04.060 --> 00:20:05.800 Don't be a stiff upper lip person. 00:20:06.280 --> 00:20:09.120 Don't pull yourself up from your bootstraps. 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:11.099 That's not the Christian message. 00:20:13.699 --> 00:20:14.500 In fact, 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:16.559 show who you are. 00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:18.519 Show your weaknesses and say, 00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:20.439 it's not me, it's Him. 00:20:21.139 --> 00:20:22.099 He has kept me 00:20:22.099 --> 00:20:23.559 and He will keep you. 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:28.799 And thirdly, 00:20:28.959 --> 00:20:29.759 you will win. 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:30.859 That's the purpose. 00:20:31.439 --> 00:20:32.619 And others will gain. 00:20:33.479 --> 00:20:34.379 We saw the proof 00:20:34.379 --> 00:20:36.459 that we are insignificant vessels 00:20:36.459 --> 00:20:39.079 and yet of inestimable value. 00:20:39.239 --> 00:20:40.179 That's why we are kept 00:20:40.179 --> 00:20:41.299 by God's power. 00:20:41.879 --> 00:20:42.959 And now we'll see the purpose. 00:20:43.679 --> 00:20:44.319 You will win 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:45.719 in verses 10 to 12 00:20:45.719 --> 00:20:47.000 and others will gain. 00:20:47.639 --> 00:20:49.199 There is a purpose in the pain 00:20:49.199 --> 00:20:51.479 and in suffering gain. 00:20:52.939 --> 00:20:54.779 We always carry around in our body 00:20:54.779 --> 00:20:55.659 the death of Jesus 00:20:55.659 --> 00:20:56.819 so that the life of Jesus 00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:58.699 may also be revered in our body. 00:20:59.439 --> 00:21:00.579 For we who are alive 00:21:00.579 --> 00:21:02.459 are always being given over to death 00:21:02.459 --> 00:21:03.179 for Jesus' sake. 00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:03.799 And again, 00:21:03.860 --> 00:21:04.320 he repeats 00:21:04.320 --> 00:21:05.779 almost the same sentence 00:21:05.779 --> 00:21:06.740 with one exception. 00:21:07.320 --> 00:21:08.120 So that His life 00:21:08.120 --> 00:21:09.299 may also be revealed 00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:10.519 in our mortal body, 00:21:10.620 --> 00:21:11.720 in our mortal flesh. 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:14.759 The purpose of it all 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:17.480 is not that you may feel 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:18.680 miserable, 00:21:19.360 --> 00:21:21.140 that you may self-flagellate 00:21:21.140 --> 00:21:22.660 and show the world 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:24.420 that you will suffer for Him 00:21:24.420 --> 00:21:25.940 and yet you will stand. 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:27.259 No, that's not the idea. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:28.940 Paul does not deny 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:30.440 the reality of suffering in life, 00:21:30.700 --> 00:21:32.259 the chaos that your life is 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:34.380 at different moments 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:35.799 and sometimes constantly. 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:39.620 But it tells us 00:21:39.620 --> 00:21:40.700 that God keeps us 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:41.680 for a purpose 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:43.140 that we will win. 00:21:44.539 --> 00:21:46.000 But before He does that, 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:47.640 He shows us again 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:49.299 the dark side of life 00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:51.579 by taking the example of Jesus. 00:21:52.139 --> 00:21:53.740 He smartly uses some words 00:21:53.740 --> 00:21:54.519 that remind us 00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:55.480 of the story of Jesus. 00:21:56.519 --> 00:21:58.019 We always carry around 00:21:58.019 --> 00:21:58.700 in our body 00:21:58.700 --> 00:21:59.619 the death of Jesus. 00:21:59.740 --> 00:22:00.720 It's actually the word 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:01.559 dying here. 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:02.680 The word death 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:03.940 is used just a verse later. 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:05.359 The idea is that 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:06.819 what He's trying to say 00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:07.579 is that daily 00:22:07.579 --> 00:22:08.579 we who are Christian 00:22:08.579 --> 00:22:10.559 carry within us 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:12.579 the dying moments of Christ 00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:13.740 which is the final week, 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:14.659 the week of passion, 00:22:14.819 --> 00:22:15.559 the week of His 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:17.839 strongest trials. 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:18.980 When He was 00:22:18.980 --> 00:22:20.599 handed over, 00:22:20.900 --> 00:22:22.339 being given over to death, 00:22:22.460 --> 00:22:23.200 the word used is 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:24.839 we're handed over to death 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:25.980 just like He was. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:27.620 In that final week, 00:22:27.779 --> 00:22:28.740 Jesus was betrayed 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:29.819 and handed over 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:30.860 to death. 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:32.759 And secondly, 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:34.059 He speaks not only 00:22:34.059 --> 00:22:34.860 about His passion 00:22:34.860 --> 00:22:35.900 but He speaks to 00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:37.559 Jesus' crucifixion. 00:22:38.059 --> 00:22:39.299 We always carry around 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:39.860 in our body 00:22:39.860 --> 00:22:40.799 the death of Christ. 00:22:41.860 --> 00:22:42.680 That's what the 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:43.519 pallbearers do 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:44.740 to a dead person. 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:48.039 We Christians 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:48.920 carry around 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:51.080 the putrefying smell 00:22:51.080 --> 00:22:52.320 of a dead man. 00:22:52.800 --> 00:22:53.820 We carry Him 00:22:53.820 --> 00:22:54.500 from the cross 00:22:54.500 --> 00:22:55.259 to the grave. 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:58.140 And thirdly, 00:22:58.220 --> 00:22:58.560 however, 00:22:59.140 --> 00:23:00.100 there is a purpose 00:23:00.100 --> 00:23:01.060 so that we 00:23:01.060 --> 00:23:02.019 may win. 00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:03.580 We do this 00:23:03.580 --> 00:23:04.600 so that His life 00:23:04.600 --> 00:23:05.500 may also be revealed 00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:06.200 in our body. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:07.240 And that's His 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:08.660 resurrection life. 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:10.840 Jesus Christ 00:23:10.840 --> 00:23:12.140 had to suffer 00:23:12.140 --> 00:23:14.120 and be betrayed, 00:23:14.840 --> 00:23:16.220 had to die 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:17.420 and be crucified. 00:23:19.100 --> 00:23:20.640 But then He rose again. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:23.200 Brothers and sisters, 00:23:23.380 --> 00:23:24.680 we who believe here 00:23:24.680 --> 00:23:26.019 carry within us 00:23:26.019 --> 00:23:27.220 not just a message 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:28.400 but a person 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:29.500 and a story, 00:23:29.620 --> 00:23:30.660 a living one. 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:32.100 We actually 00:23:32.100 --> 00:23:32.779 enact 00:23:32.779 --> 00:23:34.380 every single day, 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:35.240 even in the midst 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:36.019 of your weaknesses, 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:37.480 you still enact 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:38.539 to those around you 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:41.079 the sufferings, 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:42.559 the death, 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:44.460 and the victory 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:45.740 of Jesus Christ. 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:49.839 And they're not 00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:51.359 for the future. 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:52.579 They're present realities. 00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:54.059 That's what He's saying here. 00:23:54.359 --> 00:23:55.579 Even though He does not deny 00:23:55.579 --> 00:23:56.359 that because they are 00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:57.200 present realities, 00:23:57.720 --> 00:23:58.279 they become 00:23:58.279 --> 00:23:59.200 future 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:00.200 certainties. 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:05.539 Suffering is not a sign 00:24:05.539 --> 00:24:06.720 of God's disappointment, 00:24:06.920 --> 00:24:08.159 brother and sister. 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:10.279 It is perhaps 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:11.579 a divine appointment. 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:13.639 And I don't just say this 00:24:13.639 --> 00:24:14.440 to say it. 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:17.159 I don't like suffering either, 00:24:17.420 --> 00:24:18.240 but none of us 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:19.139 denies that we're 00:24:19.139 --> 00:24:20.099 going through 00:24:20.099 --> 00:24:21.519 certain kinds of suffering, 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:22.720 even as we speak. 00:24:23.980 --> 00:24:24.879 But we know 00:24:24.879 --> 00:24:25.680 that we will win 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:26.879 because Christ won. 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:28.859 And we know 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:29.539 that there is no 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:30.299 easy fix. 00:24:30.639 --> 00:24:31.480 We have to go through 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:32.700 the difficulties of life, 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:34.460 but we also know 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:35.900 we shall be undefeated 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:37.420 because of the 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:38.440 treasure we carry 00:24:38.440 --> 00:24:39.319 and the power 00:24:39.319 --> 00:24:40.559 God gives us. 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:43.840 We will win 00:24:43.840 --> 00:24:45.759 and others will gain. 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:47.319 And we see that 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:48.079 in verse 12. 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:49.340 So then death 00:24:49.340 --> 00:24:50.420 is at work in us, 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:51.720 but life is at work 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:52.160 in you. 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:53.059 Now, 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:54.160 just to give 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:55.500 the context again 00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:56.420 of what Paul is saying. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:57.340 Paul loved 00:24:57.340 --> 00:24:58.920 the Corinthian Christians. 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:00.220 They were like 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:01.600 his sons and daughters 00:25:01.600 --> 00:25:02.640 because he had 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:03.160 brought them 00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:04.000 forth 00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:05.140 by the power 00:25:05.140 --> 00:25:06.000 of the gospel 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:07.579 some years earlier. 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:08.380 However, 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:10.140 they did not like him 00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:11.579 because they still saw 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:13.299 the epitome 00:25:13.299 --> 00:25:15.279 of great leadership 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:16.160 with the eyes 00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:17.059 of their culture. 00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:17.900 And that was, 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:18.579 like I said, 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:19.599 you have to have 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:20.519 a good appearance. 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:21.880 You have to know 00:25:21.880 --> 00:25:22.960 how to speak well. 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:24.220 And Paul, 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:25.380 they accused him 00:25:25.380 --> 00:25:26.180 in the same letter 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:27.259 and Paul mentions it. 00:25:27.579 --> 00:25:27.960 They said, 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:28.980 his appearance 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:29.960 is nothing 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:31.380 and his speech 00:25:31.380 --> 00:25:32.700 is of no account. 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:34.360 How can we believe 00:25:34.360 --> 00:25:34.860 his word? 00:25:34.940 --> 00:25:35.620 He's nothing. 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:37.259 He's not even rich 00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:38.220 and he does not even 00:25:38.220 --> 00:25:39.580 seek money from others 00:25:39.580 --> 00:25:40.480 and from us 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:42.160 because he's nothing. 00:25:42.340 --> 00:25:43.400 Had he been somebody, 00:25:44.980 --> 00:25:45.460 he would have had 00:25:45.460 --> 00:25:46.340 a lot of patrons 00:25:46.340 --> 00:25:47.740 and a lot of money. 00:25:49.319 --> 00:25:50.360 And Paul says, 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:52.660 no. 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:55.759 We go through 00:25:55.759 --> 00:25:57.019 whatever we go through 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:57.880 not only so that 00:25:57.880 --> 00:25:58.539 we can win 00:25:58.539 --> 00:26:00.000 but that you can gain. 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:02.079 and all my sufferings 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:02.819 are like those 00:26:02.819 --> 00:26:03.460 of a parent. 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:06.720 Now, 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:08.200 throughout this letter, 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:09.940 if you go through it, 00:26:09.980 --> 00:26:10.720 you'll see that Paul 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:11.380 calls himself 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:12.319 a parent for them. 00:26:12.519 --> 00:26:12.859 In fact, 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:13.420 even a parent 00:26:13.420 --> 00:26:14.019 who is going to 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:14.779 discipline them 00:26:14.779 --> 00:26:16.299 if they keep on doing 00:26:16.299 --> 00:26:17.019 what they're doing 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:18.059 because he loves them 00:26:18.059 --> 00:26:18.559 to death. 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:19.940 He has sacrificed 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:20.920 himself for them. 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:23.579 You know what 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:24.359 we parents do. 00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:26.539 Even if you're not 00:26:26.539 --> 00:26:27.000 a parent, 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:28.380 you're somebody's child. 00:26:28.380 --> 00:26:30.800 You know that 00:26:30.800 --> 00:26:31.460 as a parent, 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:32.340 you sacrifice 00:26:32.340 --> 00:26:33.520 everything 00:26:33.520 --> 00:26:34.620 for your children 00:26:34.620 --> 00:26:36.240 and you die 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:37.100 daily for them. 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:39.300 You die in small ways 00:26:39.300 --> 00:26:40.300 and in big ways. 00:26:40.800 --> 00:26:41.900 You die to your hobbies. 00:26:42.080 --> 00:26:42.480 Sometimes, 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:44.460 had you had not a child, 00:26:44.540 --> 00:26:44.940 you'd have done 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:45.660 something else 00:26:45.660 --> 00:26:46.800 as a hobby 00:26:46.800 --> 00:26:47.760 that weekend 00:26:47.760 --> 00:26:48.300 but yet, 00:26:48.520 --> 00:26:49.220 you have to take them 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:50.320 to a football match. 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:52.640 Or, 00:26:52.760 --> 00:26:53.860 you die to your 00:26:53.860 --> 00:26:54.720 rest. 00:26:55.100 --> 00:26:56.140 If you want to sleep 00:26:56.140 --> 00:26:56.720 for an hour, 00:26:56.820 --> 00:26:56.960 well, 00:26:56.980 --> 00:26:57.860 you can't catch enough. 00:26:59.360 --> 00:27:00.580 And if you want 00:27:00.580 --> 00:27:01.140 to sleep through 00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:01.460 the night 00:27:01.460 --> 00:27:02.800 because it's so important 00:27:02.800 --> 00:27:03.740 that you go to work 00:27:03.740 --> 00:27:04.500 the next day 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:05.320 to support 00:27:05.320 --> 00:27:06.440 that very child, 00:27:07.060 --> 00:27:08.220 you have to stay 00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:09.720 up all night. 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:11.820 And you suffer 00:27:11.820 --> 00:27:12.960 in small ways. 00:27:13.060 --> 00:27:14.200 You die to yourself 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:15.900 every single day. 00:27:16.600 --> 00:27:18.260 And you die to your career 00:27:18.260 --> 00:27:19.900 because you want 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:20.500 to give them 00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:21.240 a better future 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:21.800 than yours. 00:27:22.560 --> 00:27:24.000 You die to your dreams 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:24.620 often 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:27.299 because theirs 00:27:27.299 --> 00:27:28.959 are more important 00:27:28.959 --> 00:27:29.500 than yours. 00:27:30.699 --> 00:27:31.359 And then, 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:32.759 as we well know, 00:27:32.879 --> 00:27:33.959 you're ready to die 00:27:33.959 --> 00:27:35.659 actually 00:27:35.659 --> 00:27:36.199 for them. 00:27:38.159 --> 00:27:38.979 You don't even 00:27:38.979 --> 00:27:39.779 think about it 00:27:39.779 --> 00:27:40.519 if it's a difficult 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:41.099 situation, 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:41.959 even if you've 00:27:41.959 --> 00:27:42.919 never thrown a punch 00:27:42.919 --> 00:27:43.500 in your life. 00:27:44.659 --> 00:27:45.619 You turn into 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:46.439 a mama bear 00:27:46.439 --> 00:27:47.659 or a papa bear 00:27:47.660 --> 00:27:49.519 when your child's 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:50.040 life is 00:27:50.040 --> 00:27:51.519 in peril. 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:54.920 You don't think 00:27:54.920 --> 00:27:55.620 twice about 00:27:55.620 --> 00:27:56.300 dying for them. 00:27:57.300 --> 00:27:58.440 And you don't do it 00:27:58.440 --> 00:27:59.360 because you're a hero. 00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:03.719 You do it 00:28:03.719 --> 00:28:04.399 because you're 00:28:04.399 --> 00:28:05.839 a parent. 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:08.939 Like, 00:28:09.159 --> 00:28:09.839 that's Paul. 00:28:10.439 --> 00:28:11.219 And that's us 00:28:11.219 --> 00:28:11.759 as Christians. 00:28:12.619 --> 00:28:13.539 He's willing 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:14.779 to give it all, 00:28:14.879 --> 00:28:16.119 to sacrifice it all, 00:28:16.639 --> 00:28:17.339 to see that 00:28:17.339 --> 00:28:17.779 others, 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:19.159 he's willing 00:28:19.159 --> 00:28:19.879 to see others 00:28:19.879 --> 00:28:20.719 see him down, 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:22.519 struck down, 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:24.099 pushed in a corner, 00:28:24.879 --> 00:28:26.159 openly perplexed, 00:28:26.159 --> 00:28:26.919 wondering what 00:28:26.919 --> 00:28:27.799 is going on. 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:31.039 because he knows 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:32.139 that all of his 00:28:32.139 --> 00:28:33.019 troubles will 00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:33.979 actually bring 00:28:33.979 --> 00:28:34.439 forward 00:28:34.439 --> 00:28:37.439 the most 00:28:37.439 --> 00:28:38.740 absolute joy 00:28:38.740 --> 00:28:39.859 in his children, 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:40.699 in his spiritual 00:28:40.699 --> 00:28:41.219 children. 00:28:41.879 --> 00:28:42.619 And in the same 00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:43.079 way we, 00:28:43.619 --> 00:28:44.259 who suffer, 00:28:44.919 --> 00:28:45.419 when others 00:28:45.419 --> 00:28:45.899 see that we 00:28:45.899 --> 00:28:46.539 suffer and yet 00:28:46.539 --> 00:28:47.199 we stand, 00:28:49.099 --> 00:28:50.039 yet we resist 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:51.199 against all odds, 00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:53.500 that's a way 00:28:53.500 --> 00:28:54.579 for them to 00:28:54.579 --> 00:28:55.279 actually think, 00:28:55.899 --> 00:28:56.139 wow, 00:28:56.479 --> 00:28:57.399 I want to do 00:28:57.399 --> 00:28:57.819 the same. 00:28:57.819 --> 00:28:59.559 I want to do 00:28:59.559 --> 00:28:59.919 the same. 00:29:00.039 --> 00:29:00.720 I want to have 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:01.539 the same as 00:29:01.539 --> 00:29:02.059 they're having. 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:04.159 I remember, 00:29:04.460 --> 00:29:05.179 I will not tell 00:29:05.179 --> 00:29:05.720 the name here, 00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:06.379 but there is a 00:29:06.379 --> 00:29:07.159 wonderful Christian 00:29:07.159 --> 00:29:07.740 in Edinburgh 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:09.039 and I heard 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:09.599 this story. 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:12.319 Recently his 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:13.019 father died 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:13.700 of a, 00:29:13.899 --> 00:29:17.099 of cancer, 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:17.519 I think. 00:29:19.579 --> 00:29:20.339 And at the 00:29:20.339 --> 00:29:20.700 funeral, 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:22.439 he said, 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:25.640 throughout his 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:26.380 life my father 00:29:26.380 --> 00:29:27.059 showed me how 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:27.539 to live 00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:30.740 and recently 00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:31.600 he showed me 00:29:31.600 --> 00:29:32.440 how to die. 00:29:37.180 --> 00:29:37.820 That's the 00:29:37.820 --> 00:29:38.519 Christian life 00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:40.860 because it 00:29:40.860 --> 00:29:41.299 starts with 00:29:41.299 --> 00:29:41.680 Christ. 00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:43.460 He was 00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:43.900 betrayed, 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:44.700 handed over. 00:29:45.600 --> 00:29:46.259 He was 00:29:46.259 --> 00:29:46.980 willing to die. 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:48.000 He was 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:48.420 willing to 00:29:48.420 --> 00:29:49.279 sacrifice himself 00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:50.039 for us. 00:29:50.900 --> 00:29:51.320 He is the 00:29:51.320 --> 00:29:52.279 face of God. 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:53.400 and he 00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:53.940 died for me 00:29:53.940 --> 00:29:54.259 and you. 00:29:54.759 --> 00:29:55.380 He showed 00:29:55.380 --> 00:29:56.039 us how to 00:29:56.039 --> 00:29:56.340 live. 00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:57.259 He showed 00:29:57.259 --> 00:29:57.820 us how to 00:29:57.820 --> 00:29:58.100 die. 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:00.140 And three 00:30:00.140 --> 00:30:00.759 days later, 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:02.500 he was 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:03.720 back alive, 00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:04.779 never to 00:30:04.779 --> 00:30:05.460 die anymore. 00:30:06.140 --> 00:30:06.680 That is a 00:30:06.680 --> 00:30:07.240 promise that 00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:07.840 if I showed 00:30:07.840 --> 00:30:08.259 you how to 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:09.039 live and 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:09.400 I showed 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:09.860 you how to 00:30:09.860 --> 00:30:10.140 die, 00:30:10.620 --> 00:30:11.019 you know 00:30:11.019 --> 00:30:11.660 that now 00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:12.160 I can show 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:12.680 you how to 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:13.259 live again 00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:14.200 and never 00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:16.240 die again. 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:19.059 that's why 00:30:19.059 --> 00:30:19.339 we are 00:30:19.339 --> 00:30:19.819 willing to 00:30:19.819 --> 00:30:20.319 bear the 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:21.000 burden of 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:21.200 being 00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:22.120 misinterpreted, 00:30:22.660 --> 00:30:23.279 of being 00:30:23.279 --> 00:30:23.620 hated, 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:25.299 and sometimes 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:26.019 of even 00:30:26.019 --> 00:30:27.460 losing the 00:30:27.460 --> 00:30:28.160 bid to the 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:28.880 highest office 00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:29.599 in the land 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:31.160 because we 00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:33.099 believe that 00:30:33.099 --> 00:30:33.660 there is 00:30:33.660 --> 00:30:34.180 something more 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:34.819 important than 00:30:34.819 --> 00:30:35.440 an office. 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:37.200 There is 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:37.720 something more 00:30:37.720 --> 00:30:38.299 important than 00:30:38.299 --> 00:30:38.859 our dreams. 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:40.160 There is 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:40.680 something more 00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:41.240 important than 00:30:41.240 --> 00:30:41.859 our jobs. 00:30:42.420 --> 00:30:42.960 There is 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:43.720 someone more 00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:44.299 important than 00:30:44.299 --> 00:30:44.879 ourselves. 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:46.559 And when we 00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:47.259 grasp that 00:30:47.259 --> 00:30:47.639 person, 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:48.440 Jesus Christ, 00:30:48.899 --> 00:30:49.539 we know that 00:30:49.539 --> 00:30:50.159 we are safe. 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:51.599 We actually 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:52.359 haven't lost 00:30:52.359 --> 00:30:52.919 anything. 00:30:56.440 --> 00:30:57.440 You cannot 00:30:57.440 --> 00:30:57.859 keep 00:30:57.859 --> 00:31:00.940 something that 00:31:00.940 --> 00:31:01.639 is not yours, 00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:03.259 but others 00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:03.819 cannot take 00:31:03.819 --> 00:31:04.599 away from us 00:31:04.599 --> 00:31:05.899 what God 00:31:05.899 --> 00:31:06.359 has given 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:06.720 us, 00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:07.879 eternal life. 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:09.539 And because 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:10.299 we live and 00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:10.879 every single 00:31:10.879 --> 00:31:11.480 day we die 00:31:11.480 --> 00:31:12.139 to ourselves, 00:31:12.140 --> 00:31:16.380 we know 00:31:16.380 --> 00:31:16.880 that one 00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:17.320 day we are 00:31:17.320 --> 00:31:17.880 going to win 00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:18.340 the final 00:31:18.340 --> 00:31:18.720 battle. 00:31:19.460 --> 00:31:19.820 Do you 00:31:19.820 --> 00:31:20.280 feel any 00:31:20.280 --> 00:31:20.880 joy today, 00:31:20.980 --> 00:31:21.400 brother and 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:21.660 sister? 00:31:22.120 --> 00:31:22.660 Do you 00:31:22.660 --> 00:31:23.060 feel any 00:31:23.060 --> 00:31:23.440 love? 00:31:23.780 --> 00:31:24.000 Do you 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:24.360 feel any 00:31:24.360 --> 00:31:25.020 relief in 00:31:25.020 --> 00:31:25.660 your troubles? 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:27.100 That's all 00:31:27.100 --> 00:31:27.580 from God, 00:31:27.660 --> 00:31:27.980 but you 00:31:27.980 --> 00:31:28.300 know what? 00:31:28.360 --> 00:31:29.180 It's only 00:31:29.180 --> 00:31:30.580 a foretaste, 00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:32.000 a preparation 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:33.020 of what is 00:31:33.020 --> 00:31:33.440 to come. 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:35.500 It is like 00:31:35.500 --> 00:31:36.080 a rehearsal, 00:31:36.340 --> 00:31:36.720 a small 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:37.480 rehearsal of 00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:37.900 what we'll 00:31:37.900 --> 00:31:38.600 see one 00:31:38.600 --> 00:31:39.440 day when 00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:40.580 Christ returns. 00:31:40.579 --> 00:31:42.099 until then 00:31:42.099 --> 00:31:42.639 we have to 00:31:42.639 --> 00:31:43.179 hold on, 00:31:43.439 --> 00:31:44.099 not to 00:31:44.099 --> 00:31:44.539 ourselves, 00:31:44.819 --> 00:31:45.359 but to 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:45.659 Him, 00:31:46.139 --> 00:31:46.699 because we 00:31:46.699 --> 00:31:47.740 are indeed 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:48.460 insignificant 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:49.019 vessels, 00:31:49.199 --> 00:31:49.500 and yet 00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:49.960 because of 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:50.439 the treasure 00:31:50.439 --> 00:31:51.259 we are 00:31:51.259 --> 00:31:52.220 of inestimable 00:31:52.220 --> 00:31:52.639 value. 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:54.019 And there 00:31:54.019 --> 00:31:54.439 is proof 00:31:54.439 --> 00:31:54.720 for that 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:55.439 every single 00:31:55.439 --> 00:31:55.899 day you 00:31:55.899 --> 00:31:56.500 suffer in 00:31:56.500 --> 00:31:57.259 many different 00:31:57.259 --> 00:31:57.659 ways, 00:31:58.619 --> 00:31:58.919 and God 00:31:58.919 --> 00:31:59.559 still keeps 00:31:59.559 --> 00:31:59.819 you. 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:01.379 Against all 00:32:01.379 --> 00:32:01.819 odds you 00:32:01.819 --> 00:32:02.379 stand and 00:32:02.379 --> 00:32:02.799 resist. 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:04.119 And the 00:32:04.119 --> 00:32:04.559 purpose is 00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:05.000 that we 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:05.559 will win. 00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:06.579 That's why 00:32:06.579 --> 00:32:07.419 we're willing 00:32:07.419 --> 00:32:08.119 to sacrifice 00:32:08.119 --> 00:32:08.839 everything. 00:32:08.839 --> 00:32:09.279 And even 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:09.659 if we're 00:32:09.659 --> 00:32:10.179 not willing 00:32:10.179 --> 00:32:10.779 to sacrifice 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:11.419 anything, 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.659 it will 00:32:13.659 --> 00:32:14.039 happen, 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:15.179 and yet 00:32:15.179 --> 00:32:15.500 we shall 00:32:15.500 --> 00:32:16.099 not lose. 00:32:16.740 --> 00:32:17.299 The Lord 00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:17.599 is going 00:32:17.599 --> 00:32:18.000 to pick 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:18.359 us up 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:18.679 again, 00:32:18.899 --> 00:32:19.419 and we 00:32:19.419 --> 00:32:19.939 shall win, 00:32:20.119 --> 00:32:20.579 and others 00:32:20.579 --> 00:32:21.079 will gain. 00:32:21.799 --> 00:32:22.559 Because we 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:23.519 know that 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:24.059 the one who 00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:24.500 raised the 00:32:24.500 --> 00:32:25.019 Lord Jesus 00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:25.579 from the 00:32:25.579 --> 00:32:26.000 dead will 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:26.619 also raise 00:32:26.619 --> 00:32:26.939 us with 00:32:26.939 --> 00:32:27.639 Jesus and 00:32:27.639 --> 00:32:28.259 present us 00:32:28.259 --> 00:32:28.759 with you 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:29.359 to himself. 00:32:30.639 --> 00:32:31.139 Therefore, 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:31.679 we do not 00:32:31.679 --> 00:32:32.459 lose heart. 00:32:33.459 --> 00:32:33.959 Though 00:32:33.959 --> 00:32:34.919 outwardly we 00:32:34.919 --> 00:32:35.459 are wasting 00:32:35.459 --> 00:32:35.879 away, 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:36.899 yet inwardly 00:32:36.899 --> 00:32:37.399 we are being 00:32:37.399 --> 00:32:37.939 renewed, 00:32:37.940 --> 00:32:38.820 day by 00:32:38.820 --> 00:32:39.220 day. 00:32:39.880 --> 00:32:40.420 For our 00:32:40.420 --> 00:32:40.860 light and 00:32:40.860 --> 00:32:41.400 momentary 00:32:41.400 --> 00:32:42.539 troubles are 00:32:42.539 --> 00:32:43.160 achieving for 00:32:43.160 --> 00:32:43.559 us an 00:32:43.559 --> 00:32:44.640 eternal glory 00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:45.799 that far 00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:46.500 outweighs 00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:47.100 them all. 00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:48.340 So we 00:32:48.340 --> 00:32:48.980 fix our 00:32:48.980 --> 00:32:49.799 eyes not 00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:50.220 on what 00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:50.779 is seen, 00:32:51.120 --> 00:32:51.519 but on 00:32:51.519 --> 00:32:51.900 what is 00:32:51.900 --> 00:32:52.519 unseen. 00:32:53.220 --> 00:32:54.059 Because what 00:32:54.059 --> 00:32:54.539 is seen is 00:32:54.539 --> 00:32:54.960 temporary, 00:32:56.340 --> 00:32:56.840 but what 00:32:56.840 --> 00:32:57.759 is unseen 00:32:57.759 --> 00:32:58.860 is eternal. 00:33:01.860 --> 00:33:02.460 Oh, 00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:02.759 Lord, 00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:04.039 we are 00:33:04.039 --> 00:33:04.360 weak. 00:33:04.860 --> 00:33:05.400 We cannot 00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:06.380 enact in 00:33:06.380 --> 00:33:06.799 our own 00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:07.700 lives the 00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:08.180 life 00:33:08.180 --> 00:33:09.139 sufferings 00:33:09.139 --> 00:33:10.119 death of 00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:10.399 Jesus 00:33:10.399 --> 00:33:10.960 Christ. 00:33:11.899 --> 00:33:12.519 But we 00:33:12.519 --> 00:33:12.980 know that 00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:13.220 we are 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:13.659 strong in 00:33:13.659 --> 00:33:14.159 you because 00:33:14.159 --> 00:33:14.500 of the 00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:15.059 treasure we 00:33:15.059 --> 00:33:15.339 carry. 00:33:16.119 --> 00:33:16.519 Lord, 00:33:16.599 --> 00:33:16.940 make the 00:33:16.940 --> 00:33:17.500 people see 00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:17.919 what is 00:33:17.919 --> 00:33:18.879 in us and 00:33:18.879 --> 00:33:19.220 may they 00:33:19.220 --> 00:33:19.700 come to 00:33:19.700 --> 00:33:19.980 you. 00:33:20.419 --> 00:33:20.960 Even those 00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:21.500 of us this 00:33:21.500 --> 00:33:22.139 morning here 00:33:22.139 --> 00:33:22.680 who do not 00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:23.159 believe, 00:33:23.700 --> 00:33:25.059 open their 00:33:25.059 --> 00:33:25.339 eyes, 00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:25.559 Lord, 00:33:25.579 --> 00:33:25.899 that they 00:33:25.899 --> 00:33:26.339 may see 00:33:26.339 --> 00:33:26.779 Christ 00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:28.079 himself and 00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:28.720 may believe. 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:29.299 Life will 00:33:29.299 --> 00:33:29.680 not get 00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:30.359 easier for 00:33:30.359 --> 00:33:30.599 them. 00:33:31.059 --> 00:33:31.299 It will 00:33:31.299 --> 00:33:32.720 get even 00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:33.539 worse sometimes 00:33:33.539 --> 00:33:34.139 because they're 00:33:34.140 --> 00:33:35.800 Christian and 00:33:35.800 --> 00:33:36.440 they will 00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:37.440 represent Christ 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:37.980 in the world, 00:33:38.120 --> 00:33:38.759 but however, 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:40.540 they're winners 00:33:40.540 --> 00:33:41.720 because of 00:33:41.720 --> 00:33:42.460 him and 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:43.900 one day we 00:33:43.900 --> 00:33:44.759 shall all be 00:33:44.759 --> 00:33:45.780 resurrected with 00:33:45.780 --> 00:33:46.980 when Jesus 00:33:46.980 --> 00:33:47.580 returns, 00:33:48.340 --> 00:33:49.140 never to die 00:33:49.140 --> 00:33:49.540 again. 00:33:50.300 --> 00:33:51.160 In Jesus' 00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:51.580 name, 00:33:51.740 --> 00:33:52.000 Amen. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:52.180 Amen. 00:33:52.180 --> 00:33:52.460 Amen. 00:33:52.460 --> 00:33:52.560 Amen. 00:33:52.560 --> 00:33:53.420 Amen. 00:33:53.420 --> 00:33:53.540 Amen. 00:33:53.540 --> 00:33:54.060 Amen. 00:33:54.060 --> 00:33:54.080 Amen. 00:33:54.080 --> 00:33:54.200 Amen. 00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:54.740 Amen. 00:33:56.180 --> 00:33:56.560 Amen. 00:33:56.560 --> 00:34:01.000 Amen. 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:01.700 Amen. 00:34:01.700 --> 00:34:02.180 Amen. 00:34:02.180 --> 00:34:02.220 Amen. 00:34:02.220 --> 00:34:04.100 Amen.