We're going to begin our worship now by singing to God's praise in Psalm 116.
We're singing on the Scottish Psalter version, page 395, singing from verse 1 to verse 8.
The tune is Coals Hill.
I love the Lord because my voice and prayers heeded here, I while I live will call on him
who bowed to me his ear.
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 8 to God's praise.
I love the Lord because my voice and prayers heeded here,
I while I live will call on him
who are to be this year.
O let the wars and sorrows hear about me,
I will sing from verse 1 to verse 8 to verse 8.
I belong to the Lord as if his actions duperule so.
I تم me in mode of silence.
Thank you.
I lift my morning, my strong tears, my feet from falling free.
Amen.
I will come to God in a short word of prayer.
Let us pray.
Amen.
we do to come together as a people here, meeting and greeting one another, enjoying to see each
other and enjoy each other's company. But we thank you above all that we come, not with each other
in mind in particular, but with you in mind. We come thankful that you call us to yourself,
that you encourage us, that you are the one who strengthens us day by day. And we thank you that
you have promised to be with us as we do come together. And we pray your blessing on this day
and upon all that we do in our worship and in our times at home, in our times of fellowship and in
Sunday school and creche and tweenies and all that goes on today, Lord. We thank you for everyone who
is involved and who is here, but remembering those unable to be with us, even tuning in online as well,
and thankful that together we can come and praise your name. So may you be with us, Lord, and lead
us in all that we do. Bless your word to us. We thank you for it, that we can open up your word and
read of the wonders of who you are and all that you have done for us. And so teach us through your word,
Lord. May we learn from it and not just for today, but for every day of our lives, that we would live
by your word and by your truth. So bless us all together, we pray, and go before us,
pardoning us in all our sins as we ask it all in Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, before the young ones go out to the Sunday school, I just want to share a few words with you.
I'm sure you all have different interests, things that you enjoy doing day to day, and maybe you're
a big fan of people or teams or things like that. People like to follow football teams,
people like to follow bands or singers, people like to follow film stars and things like that,
people who are important and who we hear a lot about. And if I was to ask everyone to put up their
hands, who here supports the greatest Scottish football team, Aberdeen? I'm sure everyone would
be putting up their hands. Maybe not. Well, other teams will have lots of followers as well, but there's
a difference between being a follower and being a fan. So what's the difference? Well, if you think of
some football teams or you think of some pop stars or bands or film stars, they maybe have fans and
they'll have followers. So take, for example, a team, a football team like Manchester City.
A long time ago, many years ago, they maybe didn't have so many fans and followers because
they weren't successful. But in these last few years when they've been winning everything,
a lot of people have started to be fans of them and to follow them. So all around the world now,
they've got people who take an interest in how their results are going and how they're getting on.
But the difference between a fan and a follower is a fan may be only there while the things are going
well, while the team is winning. There'll be a lot of fans who will follow at that point. But when
things start getting hard, when the results don't go their way, these fans, they just go to another
team, another team who's maybe successful and winning. But those who are real followers of the team,
they'll stick with them through the ups and downs. And they are the people who are really committed.
And when we look at the Bible, it reminds us that when we look at the life of Jesus,
there was times in his life when a lot of people were interested in him. As he was going about
day-to-day life, people were hearing his teaching. They were seeing him do miracles,
things that were impossible. Jesus did like walking on water, feeding the 5,000. There was all kinds of
miracles that Jesus did. And people were really interested in this. There were many fans, if you
like, following him, thousands of people following him. But when things started getting more difficult,
when Jesus started to teach them about things being hard and life not always being easy and
trials will come, he found that many of these fans, as it were, turned away. They didn't want to know.
This sounded too difficult. And there was one point in Jesus's life when, as he was teaching and he was
seeing people turning away, he was saying to some of the disciples who were with him,
will you also go away? But their response was this, to whom else can we go? You alone have the words
of eternal life. They were followers of Jesus. Not just fans who were there for the good times when
everything was going well, but who stuck with him, who stayed with him, who followed him.
And that's a reminder to ourselves today as well. Ask yourself, are you a fan or a follower of Jesus?
Are you only here to hear about the good things and to enjoy the good times? Or will you truly follow
Jesus? Follow him, especially maybe when things get hard and difficult, because he promises to be
faithful to us, to be with us each and every day. So don't just be a fan who's there when things are good.
Be a follower and know that Jesus is with us through the ups and downs of all our lives.
So may God bless these thoughts to us. We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together now.
Amen.
Our Father, we chart in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
We're going to sing again to God's praise this time in Psalm 70. Again, it's in the Scottish Psalter
version, and the first version of the Psalm on page 309 of the Psalm books. Psalm 70, the first version.
Lord, haste me to deliver with speed. Lord, succor me. Let them that for my soul do seek shame
unconfounded be. We'll sing the whole of this psalm to the tune dense, and we stand to sing.
Lord, haste me to deliver with speed. Lord, succor me. Let them that for my soul do seek,
Thank you.
Amen.
And we can read the whole of this chapter together.
Amen.
So we see coming into chapter 4, we have the word, therefore, for, so Paul here is continuing,
the writer of the letter, Paul is continuing to explain what it is to know the glory of
God as he speaks about it there, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
So we pick up our reading in chapter 4.
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart, but we have
renounced disgraceful underhanded ways.
We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the
truth, we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.
In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from
seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
And for what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your
servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God
and not to us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed.
Perplexed, but not driven to despair.
Persecuted, but not forsaken.
Struck down, but not destroyed.
Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus.
So the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake.
So the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written,
I believed and so I spoke.
We also believe and so we also speak.
Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
For it is all for your sake.
So that as grace extends to more and more people, it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God.
So we do not lose heart.
Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.
For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
We ask that God would bless that word to us.
Let us again just join together in a word of prayer.
Our Father in heaven, we give you thanks that we are able to call upon your name.
That in prayer we have that great assurance that we are not just speaking words to ourselves or to those who are gathered around us.
But that we offer up our prayers to you as the Lord and God who has made the heaven and the earth and all that we see around us.
As God who has made us for a purpose.
As the one who is God over all.
And the one who, as we have been reminded in our reading here, has given his son.
We thank you that you did indeed not spare your son, but that you sent him into this world and sent him with a real purpose.
Your love was shown to us in the very fact that Jesus was born in this world.
That he came and lived here among the people of this world.
And that he taught and showed himself not just as an ordinary man, but as the son of God.
And we thank you that the Bible reminds us of his power.
And his power not just in the miracles that he did around his people then.
Showing them things that were so impossible to do.
But above all, the power that he had to give life.
And not just life in a way in this world, but eternal life.
The greatest gift of all.
And so we thank you that we have your word.
And may it help us in every circumstance.
That whatever we are going through in life.
Whatever our past experience or present experience.
That we would realize that your word gives us such great hope.
A future to look forward to.
That as we put our trust in you.
That you are the one who is able to heal hurts.
And to help us in times of anxiety and fear.
The one who is able to guide us when we feel lost in this world.
The one who is able to give us strength when we feel weak.
We thank you for everything that you do for your people.
Everything that you do as we come calling upon you.
And so we pray, Lord, that you will bless your word to us today.
And bless all that we do in your name.
We thank you, Lord, that the gospel is full of good news.
In the midst of all the bad news that we see around us and hear around us.
And how we all need to hear your gospel.
How we need to hear this good news.
And to all the ends of the earth, Lord.
People need to hear about Jesus and the goodness and mercy that he is able to show.
And we pray, Lord, that around the world today.
In the midst of times of terror and war and conflicts near and far.
We thank you that you are a God of peace.
And we pray, Lord, to have mercy.
To have mercy in the midst of all that's happening in our world.
And to turn the angry hearts, the sinful hearts, the wicked hearts.
To turn them from their evil ways.
And to turn them to following the paths of goodness and righteousness.
As you teach us in your word.
So we pray, Lord, that you will look down upon us this day.
Look down upon our world and upon your people.
To all ends of the earth.
And hear the prayers of your people.
That you will transform our lives and our hearts.
And all our nations, O Lord.
To know your blessing and your peace.
We thank you for our people here as a congregation.
For our town.
For our islands around us, Lord.
And we pray for all our people, Lord, today.
That you will draw near to all who need you in different ways.
As we think of those who are mourning and grieving at this time.
Even in this past week.
As we think of the Mackenzie family following the passing of Alistair.
So suddenly this week, Lord.
We pray for your comfort to them.
Your help to them.
Especially as they prepare for the funeral tomorrow, Lord.
We pray that you will surround them and uphold them.
And be their refuge and their strength.
We pray for those who are in hospital.
For those who are in homes.
Those who are confined to their own homes as well, Lord.
Going through different experiences and times of ill health.
Or different needs, Lord.
We pray that you will bless them.
And surround them with your goodness and your mercy as well.
We ask, oh Lord, for our young people.
That you will watch over them.
Thankful for all who come so regularly, week by week.
Looking ahead to this week even.
And this evening we thank you for the youth fellowship.
At Jonathan and Allison's house this evening.
We pray for that time.
And for Hannah as she comes to speak.
May you bless that.
May you bless the Presbytery camp this coming weekend as well, Lord.
We thank you for all who have signed up for that.
And may it be a time of real encouragement and blessing.
As the children and the leaders gather together over this weekend, Lord.
We pray for protection and for your blessing on them.
We pray for the Christmas club coming up as well.
As invitations are sent out.
That we would see a good response to it.
And that you will help us to again remind ourselves and remind others of the gospel.
The good news of Jesus coming into this world.
And we pray that you will help in all of these things.
That your blessing will be upon it.
So Lord, may you continue with us throughout this day.
Bless us in homes and families.
Lord, look after us and all our loved ones as we commit ourselves into your hands.
Take care of us and pardon us in all our sins.
As we think of things that we say and do that we shouldn't.
And the things that we don't do that we should.
We pray, Lord, that you will help us.
To know that you are a God of forgiveness and help in our every need.
So hear our prayers as we ask them.
In the name of Jesus.
For his sake and glory.
Amen.
Let us again sing to God's praise.
Before we turn back to look at the passage that we read.
We're going to sing in Psalm 146.
Page 191.
Psalm 146.
We'll sing from verse 5 down to verse 10.
The end of the psalm.
The tune is Sussex.
Blessed is the one who truly looks for help to Jacob's God.
Blessed is the one who places all his hope upon the Lord.
We'll sing from verse 5 down to verse 10.
To God's praise.
Amen.
Blessed is the one who places all his hope upon the Lord.
He who made the earth and heaven and the seas with all their sword.
스� McMahon's prayer.
Blessed is the one who believes foe as if the fisherman will ever changeost Him in a traumatizing land.
Chapel is the one who пока about theundenys
and heavenly celestial prays.
He releases those in prison, to oblige the Lord his side.
For tomorrow, by God he races all delights in righteousness.
He protects and cares for strangers when it will stand the forest.
He trusts the wicked girls, so the Lord to endless days reigns to every generation.
Praise to God, O Zion, praise.
Well, let's turn back to our reading in 2 Corinthians chapter 4.
And you notice at the beginning of the chapter, chapter 4, in verse 1, there it says,
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
And then if you go down to verse 16, that phrase is repeated.
We do not lose heart.
So there's this phrase that we have in this chapter.
And I want to focus on that phrase, we do not lose heart, but looking at it particularly from verse 7 down to the end of the chapter.
There's an American painter who was called John Sargent.
He lived in the late 1800s and died in the early 1900s.
He was a famous painter in his day.
And he once painted a picture, a painting of roses.
It was just a small painting, but it became very precious to him, became very important to him.
It was a painting that was praised by art critics as something that was so beautiful and so delicate in so many ways.
And he had offers, large offers from people to buy the painting, but he never sold it.
He considered it his best work.
And he was proud of it.
But the reason that he kept it was this, that whenever he felt discouraged as an artist,
whenever he felt that he was losing his focus or felt that he was a failure as an artist and just couldn't paint anything,
he said he would look at that painting and remind himself that I painted that.
And very often that would take him back to his focus on the gifts that he had,
the gift that he had as an artist, and he would continue to paint very beautiful paintings.
In a sense, maybe that's how we are with God's Word.
There's a temptation for us at times when, as I was saying with the young ones,
when we're fans or followers, when the going gets hard,
when things are difficult, that we can look at God's Word and think,
there's nothing there for me.
That doesn't make any sense to me.
And the temptation is to turn away from it.
When the reality is that by having God's Word, it should be the opposite.
So that when there are times when we are feeling discouraged,
when we are feeling downcast or disheartened and things that are going on,
that we recognize that God has given us this Word.
That we recognize what he has done for us, what he tells us in this Word,
that he gave his Son.
And we recognize, God did that for me.
So we are to come back to God's Word again and again,
and here to find encouragement in our lives, strength in our lives.
This passage, chapter 4 in 2 Corinthians, as we look at this chapter,
it reminds us not to lose heart, not to turn away from God's Word,
but indeed to come closer to him day by day, even in the most difficult circumstances.
And we all know the kind of days that we live, that we live in.
And it's so easy to lose heart, so easy to be dismayed in all that we see going on around us,
or even in our own lives and experiences too.
And above all, we see people and nations all over the world turning away from God,
saying there is no God, we don't need God, God isn't real.
People are not interested in the things of God,
and so we can lose heart and think what we are doing,
whether it's preaching or evangelism or just living our lives in our communities among people,
we can lose heart as if nothing is happening, nothing is changing.
But this passage reminds us what we have,
that we have a treasure.
We have something that is priceless,
something that is precious,
something that we need to hold on to firmly for ourselves,
but also to show to others as well.
And that's exactly what Paul was doing in this city of Corinth.
You're going back 2,000 years here to the city of Corinth,
a place that was in many ways a new city,
a city that had been built only about eight years before this.
It was a Roman city occupied by Romans,
soldiers and authorities,
and to be a Christian in this city was a challenge
because the Romans hated the Christians.
And if they tried to do anything that was putting the Lord up before people,
they were very often persecuted or worse,
they were put to death.
So it wasn't an easy place to live in,
and so people could have easily lost heart.
But Paul comes to them,
the apostle sent by God to come to this city,
he comes saying to them,
do not lose heart.
And he goes on to tell them why.
We see Paul reminding them here as to reasons
for them not to lose heart
and for ourselves not to lose heart today.
That we have this ministry,
this gospel,
this treasure in jars of clay,
as he says in verse 7.
So that verse itself reminds us
we have a great treasure,
the good news of Jesus,
but he says in jars of clay.
So there's something fragile there as well,
and we are indeed a fragile people.
This chapter is kind of marked in three stages.
We do not lose heart,
he says in verse 1,
because of this powerful word of God that we have.
Then in verse 7,
we don't lose heart,
even though that we are weak.
And then in verse 16,
we don't lose heart,
because we have something precious
to look forward to as well.
So we're going to focus just for a time
on verse 7,
down to the end of the chapter.
And there's three things that we've given here
to remind us why we shouldn't lose heart.
And the first is,
in our weakness,
we can know strength.
Secondly, we see in our pains,
we can know his protection.
And then thirdly,
we'll see that though,
as it describes here,
we are wasting away,
we too are watching for something better.
So the first thing we want to see here is,
though we feel weak,
there is still a strength for us.
We're reminded here of our own weaknesses,
first and foremost.
How do we go on in hard times?
How do we go on when the going is tough?
And especially as Paul is here speaking about
showing forth the glory of God,
telling others of the good news of the gospel.
That was what the church in Corinth was there for,
to proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the glory of God in Jesus Christ.
And yet there was times when they found it difficult.
There was times in their own experience
when they felt weak,
just as we all do at times.
We are just jars of clay.
So we have a treasure in jars of clay.
So we think of ourselves as those jars of clay.
What kind of image does that bring to mind?
Jars of clay in these days in Corinth were important.
Jars of clay were used for carrying all kinds of things,
water, wine, important things for their lives from day to day.
But it wasn't like they were just mass produced.
If you broke one, you just got another one.
It wasn't quite that easy.
So very often you would see jars that were chipped and fragile and cracked and very easily broken.
So these jars, it's not an image of strength but of weakness.
And every day that goes by for ourselves,
we are reminded that that is what we are like too.
We are a fragile people.
We have our own chips and cracks.
We're very fragile in so many ways.
We sort of go on in life in that way.
So we feel our own sense of weakness.
But yet what Paul says to them here is,
but we have this treasure in jars of clay
to show the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
So Paul and those who are with them,
they've known their own fragility.
They've known their own weaknesses.
They've known their own challenges.
They too are jars of clay.
But he says we have this surpassing power that belongs to God.
So he's reminding the people in his day and himself too
and ourselves today as well
that we can have courage and perseverance
in the midst of everything that comes our way.
That is how we should feel ourselves.
Even when we are discouraged, we don't lose heart.
Even when we're disappointed, we don't lose heart.
Even when we're wanting to quit, we don't lose heart.
There are so many challenges for you.
And for me.
And Paul was coming to them with this message.
This message of hope.
Do not lose heart.
Has anyone come here today saying,
you know what?
I really hope today that the minister preaches a word
that will leave me feeling downcast.
That will help me to lose heart.
I really want to be discouraged this morning.
I'm sure no one has come feeling like that.
You come here to see that no matter what is going on,
that there is good news.
To come here feeling that you want to be discouraged
or leave feeling downhearted.
It would be like going out to eat in a restaurant
and going with the approach,
I want to go to this restaurant so I get food poisoning.
Or I want to go to this restaurant
because I've heard the food they serve is rubbish.
You don't go with that in mind.
You go to eat and be satisfied and be filled.
And that's why we should come here today as well.
That's why we come to God's word,
to recognize that we don't lose heart in his word.
We don't turn away from it
because here we have something that fills us up
and leaves us feeling a sense of hope and encouragement.
that we have a treasure for ourselves,
this hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
the one who gives life to us,
even as jars of clay,
fragile, cracked, chipped as we are.
Despite all that is wrong and weak about us,
we have one who is powerful and able to help.
And he reminds us of that later on
in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 12.
That great verse that says,
but he said to me, this was to Paul himself,
in his own weakness, he said,
God said to him,
my grace is sufficient for you
for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Paul, we often think of as the great apostle,
such a strong faith,
yet he too was just a jar of clay,
fragile, weak at times,
and needed the grace of God.
So do we.
But we have that promise,
my grace is sufficient for you
for my power is made perfect in weakness.
So we do not lose heart because we are weak,
because we have the power of God.
The second thing we see here is
we have pains, but we're protected.
Paul describes here the reality
of the Christian life in verse 8 down to verse 12.
He speaks there of different things,
and it's quite a vivid picture, isn't it?
He says, we are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed.
Perplexed, but not driven to despair.
Persecuted, but not forsaken.
Struck down, but not destroyed.
There is pain even in following Jesus.
When you think everything is going to be
well and good for us,
there is still times of pain
and many different kinds.
And imagine you were to take these words
as a job description
and to think this is what your job
is going to entail.
And you look at the kind of words
that Paul is using here.
He describes being afflicted,
squeezed, and under pressure all the time.
He describes this as coming from every side,
so from every way, direction, and place, and occasion.
This is ongoing.
He then says perplexed.
It's almost to be lost.
You don't know which way to turn.
You don't know which way to go.
Persecuted.
The idea behind persecuted
is almost being hunted like an animal
where people are out to get you.
You're struck down.
It's almost like you're just feeling
as if everyone is on top of you,
beating you down.
So there's a very vivid picture for us here.
And it's apparent to us
that this is what Paul himself
had suffered on many occasions
and why he's writing to the church at Corinth
as the people there
are suffering these things as well.
But perhaps today,
these words describe you
and your own situation.
All of these things,
afflicted, perplexed,
persecuted,
struck down.
You feel at a loss at times.
Don't know where to turn.
Don't know where to go
as everything is on top of you.
Well, we have these words here
to remind us today,
you're not alone
and you're not the first
and you won't be the last.
This is the experience
of many people down
through every generation.
And perhaps you're saying to yourself now,
well, maybe the minister is here
to leave me feeling hopeless
and to lose heart
and to feel discouraged.
But as we come to the Word,
we see that
although there are all these difficulties,
although there are all these challenges,
many of them,
we see too that there is hope in them.
We are pained in many ways,
but what he reminds us of here
is we are protected.
That the Lord is with us.
Because you notice
as Paul goes through this list,
afflicted,
crushed,
perplexed,
persecuted.
You see all of these things,
but there's another word with them.
He says,
we are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed.
We are perplexed,
but not driven to despair.
We are persecuted,
but not forsaken.
Struck down,
but not destroyed.
And so what's the answer
in all of these situations?
It's to remember God with us.
Yes, there are times
when we feel afflicted in every way,
but we're not crushed
because the Lord gives us strength.
There are times
when we are perplexed,
we don't know which way to go,
but we don't despair
because God can guide us.
We can feel persecuted.
That's people against us
in so many ways,
but not forsaken.
That's God is with us.
Struck down,
but not destroyed.
And never will be
because God is for us.
So what Paul is saying
to us here is that
throughout all our different trials,
throughout all of these
different experiences,
we may have pains,
but we are protected.
He is with us.
There's a story of a young missionary.
His name was William Borden.
He grew up in America
and he was an heir
to a great fortune.
A millionaire.
His family was rich.
He graduated in college
and could have done
pretty much anything in his life.
But he was converted
at a young age.
And from a very early age
in his life,
what he wanted to do
was serve the Lord.
And he got a particular interest
in foreign mission.
And so,
he turned his back
on his wealth.
He left that life behind.
And he went to Egypt,
to Cairo initially,
in the hope of going on then
to China as a missionary.
But he hadn't been in Egypt long,
where he was sharing the gospel
with the Muslims
in that city.
And after about four months there,
he became ill.
And he had developed
a spinal form of meningitis.
And after only four months,
he passed away
at the age of 25.
Many people would say,
hey,
what was the point
in that?
Such a waste
in so many ways.
And yet,
if you go
to Egypt,
to Cairo,
there's a graveyard,
a cemetery there
for our missionaries
who had passed away.
There's a gravestone
for William Borden.
And on it
are the words,
apart from faith
in Christ,
there is no explanation
for a life
as this.
Apart from
faith in Christ,
there is no explanation
for such
a life
as this.
What does that say?
Well,
it says to us
that he lived
for Christ.
His faith
was so strong,
he was called
by the Lord
to do that,
even though
it was for a short time.
The Lord
used him.
We do not
lose heart.
Though there are
times of pain,
the Lord
always has a purpose
and is always
there
for his people.
And we conclude
by seeing that
as you come
to the end
of this chapter,
we see that
there is the great
hope
for all
of God's people.
In verse 16
down to the end
it says,
so we do not
lose heart.
In the midst
of everything
that's going on
around us
and as he says here,
all that's going
on within us,
though we,
our outer nature
is wasting away,
our inner nature
is being renewed
day by day.
So Paul
is saying
these great words
for us,
do not
lose heart.
If these
were the only words
you take today,
rejoice
in them
and the one
who is behind
them,
our Lord
Jesus Christ,
do not lose
heart
because he is
there
for us.
And he
wants us
or his people
here on ourselves
today
to go on
with this sense
of a vision
of God
to remind
us
that yes,
we will have
pains in this
world,
but that there
is greater
to come.
Now he
says it in a
way that we
could think,
what does he
know of
suffering?
When he
describes it
there in
verse 17
as this
slight
momentary
affliction
is preparing
us for an
eternal weight
of glory
beyond all
comparison.
So we look
not to the
things that are
seen,
but to the
things that
are unseen.
For the
things that
are seen
are transient,
that's temporary,
but the
things that
are unseen
are eternal.
It's hard
for us to
understand
all the
different things
that go on
in this
world and
Paul isn't
just putting
down on it
here by
describing them
as momentary
afflictions.
He says
that so we
will see the
greater purpose
of God in
our lives
as we put
our trust
in him.
It's a
great example
for us
from the
Old Testament.
In the
book of
Genesis,
it's the
life of
Joseph.
Joseph,
who had
many brothers
who were
jealous of
him.
He was
his father's
favorite.
And his
brothers didn't
like this,
so they
sold him,
and he
became a
slave in
Egypt.
In Egypt,
he was falsely
accused of
things and
cast into
prison.
And so here
he was,
going through
all these
times of
hardship and
challenges.
His own
family had
turned against
him, and
yet many
years later,
that whole
experience was
used for
good.
His own
brothers had
to come to
Egypt for
help, and
he had been
restored in a
prominent position
in Egypt,
almost like
prime minister,
as we would
call it today.
And he was
able to show
mercy to his
brothers and
to his family
and to help
them in a
time of
famine.
And as
Joseph looked
back on
his life,
as he saw
all that had
happened in
his life,
his brothers
turning against
him, being
put in prison
in Egypt,
all these
hardships,
he was able
to look back
and say to
his own
brothers,
you meant
it for
evil, but
God meant
it for
good.
So he could
see that in
the midst of
everything that
happened,
God still
had good
in the midst
of it.
And that is
hard for us
to understand
at times.
But it's by
seeing the
eternal weight
of glory,
as he
describes it
here, to
see that
everything in
this world,
it's temporary.
And that's
not what we
are to chase
after, the
things of
this world
that will
satisfy us,
but only for
a short
time.
but we
are to
look to
the things
that are
unseen in
many ways
for us.
But by
faith we
look to
Jesus, and
there find
the things
that are
eternal, the
things that
are permanent,
the things
that God
has prepared
for all
his people.
And that
is the
hope that
the Lord
Jesus gives
to us.
the things
in this
world will
pass away.
But the
things of
God are
permanent and
eternal.
And that
should give
us hope.
That's what
helps us to
not lose
heart in
the midst
of all that
goes on in
this life.
People in
this world,
they seek
after their
treasure.
You've seen
it over
generations.
You think
of the
race and
space for
people to
find their
way to
the roots
of creation
and all
that's behind
it.
People are
looking for
answers in
so many
places that
are just
temporary,
that are
passing
away.
You think
of people
in the
gold rush
or the
oil rush
where people
are looking
to make
their fortune
in these
things.
Again,
things that
will pass
away.
You think
of people
on a
smaller scale
today who
pin their
hopes on
winning the
lottery or
something like
that.
It'll be
life-changing,
yes, in
many ways,
but is it
for the
better?
It's only
temporary.
We're looking
for treasure
in the wrong
place.
But here
Paul reminds
us that we
have a
great treasure,
the glory
of God in
the face
of Jesus
Christ,
something so
precious,
so powerful
that makes
us rich
beyond everything
else that this
world can
offer us.
We are in
jars of
clay ourselves,
we're brittle
and fragile
in so many
ways.
But to
know this
treasure,
to love
this treasure,
to love
the Lord
with all
our hearts
is to
know
something
that's
not
temporary
or just
for a
moment,
but something
eternal
and forever.
Yes,
we'll have
our pains,
yes,
we are
wasting
away,
but we
have a
hope in
Jesus
Christ
that's
secure
for all
eternity.
Do you
know it?
Are you
a fan
or a
follower?
Are you
only there
when the
going's
good,
when things
are going
well,
but when
the rubber
hits the
road,
I don't
need God.
He's not
there for
me,
I'll just
turn away
and find
my treasure
in something
else.
It won't
help.
It may
help for a
time,
but it's
ever only
temporary.
It's to
be a
follower,
to know
that the
Lord will
hold you
and support
you and
give you
that sufficient
grace day
by day
as you
put your
trust in
him.
We are
weak,
but he
gives
strength.
We are
pained,
but he
gives
protection.
We are
wasting
away,
but may
the Lord
help us
to watch
and look
to him
for the
things that
are eternal.
Let us
pray.
Our
Father in
heaven,
we praise
you for
your goodness
to us,
that you
are the
God who
has promised
always to
be with
us,
never to
leave us.
And may
all your
people,
Lord,
even today
who are
feeling
crushed
and
perplexed,
persecuted
and afflicted
in so
many
different
ways.
May your
people know
your great
presence and
power with
them,
that they
would know,
Lord,
that things
in this
world,
no matter
how hard
they are,
are passing
by,
but that we
have something
precious to
look forward
to.
The treasure
we have
now is
what we
look to
for eternity
and that
hope of
life with
our Lord
Jesus.
So may
you bless
your word
and bless
us and
continue
with us
now in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.
We'll
conclude by
singing to
God's
praise in
Psalm 134.
This is
in the
Sing
Psalms
version,
page 175,
Psalm 134,
the first
version,
Psalm 134a.
And we'll
sing the
whole of
this psalm.
Praise the
Lord,
all you
as servants
as you
serve with
one accord.
Praise the
Lord,
and your
night watches
in the
temple of
the Lord.
The tune
of Stuttgart
and we'll
sing the
whole of
this psalm.
Amen.
Praise the
Lord,
all you
are
as
you
serve
with
one
praise the
Now or
Lord.
The temple of the Lord.
Raise your hands with endless temple.
To the Lord your broken ways.
He who made the earth and heavens
bless you from this holy grace.
After the benediction I'll go to the main door.
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
rest upon and abide with you all
now and forevermore. Amen.
Amen.