Let's pray together.
Father, truly blessed is your name.
And we ask, no matter if we are in the midst of really, really hard things right now, or if life is going really, really well,
we ask that blessed be your name would be on our lips.
Is your worthy?
Father, today I pray that you would help us through your word learn how to go through hardships in a way that pleases you.
Looking to Jesus with our eyes fixed on eternity, longing to see your face.
Help us to trust you in the midst of all of this life, knowing that it's momentary and you're glorious forever.
God, would you use this time for your purposes, we pray.
In Jesus' name, amen.
You may be seated, children.
Head on to your classes.
What I mean is, my name is Matt, and I have the...
Hey, Donald.
I have the privilege of serving along with Pastor Mike as one of the associate pastors here.
And I was thinking a little bit earlier that I've reached a little bit of a milestone this morning.
My wife and I is one month old.
This is the first sermon that she'll hear me preach.
And there's a high likelihood one of two things will happen.
She will either fall asleep or start crying.
But we'll get through it together, Grace.
For the rest of us, we're in the middle of a discipleship series right now.
And we've sort of titled this as how we live intentionally for Jesus.
Well, any talk about discipleship requires that we spend some time considering hardship,
considering affliction and suffering.
Because we know from the lips of our Lord Jesus, he tells us that in this world, you will have tribulation.
It's at the end of John chapter 16, he says that.
And none of us, right, none of us sort of rolls out of bed hardwired to please God in how we respond to hard things in life.
It's not our default kind of means of answering in the midst of hardship.
No, we're a people, we love safety and comfort and ease.
And we tend to avoid hardship at all costs.
And then when the inevitable hits and hardship comes, some kind of trial, some sort of suffering, a conflict perhaps,
when these things arise, we're prone to then seek escape.
We're tempted to compromise who we are, maybe even grumble and complain, thinking that we deserve better.
Well, we need help facing hard things.
We need help to think rightly about hard things and endure hard things in such a way that we can honor Jesus and glorify God.
What we need this morning is God's word to instruct us, for God's spirit to guide us as we contemplate these things.
In our discipleship, in our purpose to live intentionally for Jesus, how are we going to endure hardship for him?
Well, fortunately for us, 2 Corinthians chapter 4 has a lot to help us with regarding hardship.
So I'd invite you, if you haven't already, to turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians.
As you're turning there, as we get started, let me just help us kind of see God's main idea,
what he really wants us to consider and take away this morning from this text.
It's this.
God intends for each and every hardship that you experience to demonstrate his power for his glory and for your good.
So your response in the midst of hardship matters a lot to him.
It matters to Jesus how we face and respond to the hard things of life.
We all know the dangers that accompany hardships and afflictions and suffering and medical issues.
We tend to personalize it and dwell on it and lose perspective on the rest of life.
We can become so self-focused that we miss God's intention behind these hard things.
We're tempted to escape, to throw in the towel and surrender, to become bitter, maybe even to shake our fist at God.
But God calls us to endure, to be strengthened in the midst of hard things, to trust in him and his promises,
to flee to Christ who is our refuge, to renew our hope of heaven and redemption and restoration of all things.
Because we serve a God who has said just a few chapters later in this same letter,
my power is made perfect in weakness.
So friends, we must believe this morning that God intends to use each and every hardship to demonstrate his power for his glory and for our good.
So let's read God's word together as we get started here.
Hopefully you'll see this just come out right away in the text.
God is intending for us to receive hardship in such a way that he would be glorified,
that the world would see his power and his goodness in the life of Jesus in and through us in our affliction.
Hear God's word this morning, church.
2 Corinthians 4, starting in verse 7.
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 that 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 that 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 self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this light, 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, temporary.
The things that are unseen are eternal.
Well, a little bit of background as we get started in this chapter.
We've kind of just dropped into the middle of a letter.
So why is Paul writing?
What's going on in the midst of the Corinthian church?
And essentially, Paul, one of the first things we know about him
when we think of his life, right,
is this is a man who endured a lot of suffering.
Right?
He was beaten and lashed and imprisoned.
He was bludgeoned by rocks, lowered out of windows and baskets.
The guy just had a rough life.
And some people were looking at all of his suffering
and all of this affliction, and they were saying,
see, that weakness there, that means this guy, he's not legit.
You don't want to listen to him.
His apostleship is not something you want to identify with
because the real people, they're the strapping ones.
They're the strong ones.
Paul, in his weakness, is not somebody you want to pay attention to.
And these folks, their way of thinking
and their way of speaking about Paul
was kind of infiltrating the church of Corinth.
They were harming this church that Paul had labored so hard for.
Paul writes this letter to the Corinthians to kind of say,
of course, suffering is real, and I've done more than my fair share.
But he argues something completely different than those opposition,
those opposers.
He says, actually, the suffering I'm going through,
the affliction, the hardship,
are God's means of showcasing his power that's unsurpassed.
Paul says that his afflictions provide the arena
for God's power to be seen and displayed.
That's where we pick up in chapter 4 here.
And we're going to see from our text that there's three sections.
And in these three sections,
Paul's going to share about the reality of his affliction,
his motivations to endure in the midst of affliction,
and finally, his perspective regarding hardship and affliction.
So the first section we see in verses 7 to 12,
Paul's the reality of affliction in his life.
Hardship and Paul are like peanut butter and jelly.
They just go together, it seems.
His life is so full of affliction as an apostle,
it's a reality that there's just no sense denying.
He's the poster boy of hardship.
In this section, verse 7 is the main idea.
Verses 8 to 12 really just kind of expand on
and elaborate on verse 7.
So we're going to take a close look at this first verse, verse 7.
Paul writes,
But we have this treasure in jars of clay
to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
Maybe you're asking right up front,
what's this treasure that Paul is speaking about here?
And if you look back just to verse 5,
we see that Paul writes,
For what we proclaim is not ourselves,
but Jesus Christ as Lord.
The treasure is this message of salvation
that God has entrusted to Paul,
and now Paul is going on these missionary journeys,
bringing much hardship,
so he can get this treasure to more and more people.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the treasure.
Just so we're on the same page about what this message is
that Paul carries in a jar of clay.
The eternal God,
the Son,
second person of the Trinity,
existing from eternity past forever and ever and ever,
became a man.
He took on flesh and dwelled among us.
And throughout his 33 years on earth,
he lived a perfect life.
If he was a baseball player,
he batted a thousand,
he struck out every batter.
As human being,
he did not sin one iota against God or fellow man.
He was perfect.
And after 33 years,
he went to the cross
where he hung in our place for our sin.
And he died for us.
He really died.
He was put in a tomb.
And three days later,
God raised him from the dead in victory.
And now he is still alive,
and he's in heaven.
And he's reigning and ruling
at the right hand of majesty on high.
That's the treasure that Paul has been entrusted with.
And he says,
it's really,
really good.
Christ died for our sins.
Notice,
the vessel is a little curious.
Jars of clay.
Essentially,
Paul is saying that
average Joes
and afflicted apostles
are God's chosen vessels
to carry this great treasure.
You don't have to think much
to realize why God does this, right?
Because this message of good news
is not about self-sufficiency.
It's not about human ingenuity and power.
It's about a God
who in his mercy
saves helpless sinners
by dying in our place.
It's a message of grace.
So if we were so self-sufficient,
God wouldn't get the glory.
It's so wise and good
and kind of God
to put priceless treasure
in such weak and breakable
and ordinary vessels like us.
Paul's jars of clay talk here
reveals a man of great humility
who sees himself rightly
before a holy God.
A man who understands grace
and how powerless he is
in his own strength and might.
Paul actually elevates here
not personal strength and power
but weakness.
Notice,
not just the container.
This treasure in clay pots
is part of God's purpose.
Second half of verse 7,
to show.
God intends this treasure
in clay pots
to demonstrate something,
to showcase something,
and it's his unsurpassed power
so that it is obvious
who the mighty one is.
And this is just like God, right?
Throughout history,
throughout history,
this is how God operates.
Israel is outnumbered
in the Exodus
and Pharaoh's armies
are close at hand
with chariots
and weapons of war
and God parts the sea
and lets them go through
on dry ground
and then drowns
Pharaoh's army behind them.
Women who are barren
and desire children
all over the Bible,
God makes it happen
time and time again
so that his purposes
would be fulfilled
for the nations.
the Virgin Mary
who birthed our Emmanuel.
Weakness does not
thwart God's power.
It actually magnifies it.
And so Paul is speaking this way
with great purpose
and intention.
He says,
there is God-given purpose
behind our weakness
so that the power
may be seen to be God's
and not ours.
verses 8 to 11,
Paul just keeps kind of
expanding upon
these afflictions.
Afflicted in every way
but not crushed.
Verse 8,
perplexed
but not driven to despair
and on and on and on.
We need to know
that Paul is documenting
a certain kind of affliction here.
He's talking about
the hardship
that has come upon him
because he's a Christian.
Because he is determined
to live his life
for Jesus.
It's his allegiance
to the Lord Christ
that has brought
this hardship.
This is not unique
to the Apostle Paul,
is it?
Just a brief stroll
through church history,
he sees countless people
time and time again
who suffer for the gospel.
Just in the last
hundred years or so,
there's countless examples
but we could name
three right now
that Jim Elliott
and Nate Saint
who were killed
by the tribes people
who they were trying
to reach with the gospel.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
the famous theologian
who was killed
in opposing Adolf Hitler
during World War II.
Even Martin Luther King Jr.
for his biblical stance
on justice.
was assassinated
in the streets.
In many places today
around the world,
as we've already discussed
a little bit,
there's secret church gatherings
where Christians
are in danger
even for gathering
to worship the Lord.
There's people
losing their heads,
literally.
There's bombings
and shootings
all because of their
identification with Jesus.
In this world,
you will have tribulation,
Jesus says.
It's the reality
of things, right?
We both suffer hardship
because we live
in a fallen world.
It's just things are broken.
They're out of whack.
They don't work
the way they should.
And we also,
as Christians,
suffer unique hardships
because the world
hates God
and His people.
The apostle
knows this
better than most.
Paul knows it.
His summary of suffering
in verse 10
really tells it all.
Paul,
you look there,
he says,
always carrying
in the body
the death of Jesus.
This is a man
who's heard Jesus' call
and has followed Him
at great cost
to his own well-being.
He's heard Jesus say,
whoever loses his life
for my sake
will find it.
And Paul's intent
on losing his own life
for the sake of others.
Second half of verse 10,
we see this.
It's essentially
a repetition
of the second half
of seven.
In seven,
we see that
the treasure
in jars of clay
is to show
the power of God
and here in verse 10,
so that the life
of Jesus
may also be manifested
in our bodies.
It's essentially
the same thing.
Jars of clay
showcasing God's power,
mortal body
displaying
the resurrection
life of Jesus,
raised in the power
of God.
the reality
and presence
of great affliction
in the Apostle Paul's life
has not altered
his aim.
He still wants Jesus
to be seen
and known.
In verse 12,
we see the length
to which Paul
is willing to go
to make that happen.
He's willing to die
so that others
might live.
He writes,
so death is at work
in us,
but life in you.
Even if I'm dying
and you're living,
I'm going to be happy
and satisfied
because that's what
his life is about.
Well, for us today,
friends,
I just have a quick question
for you to take home
and consider.
I've been asking myself
this this week.
Do I live with an eager
desire to showcase
God's power
through my weakness?
Is that what I'm about?
When hardship comes along,
am I eager for God
to be glorified
through it?
To display the life
of Jesus.
God intends for our hardship
to produce that desire
in us.
He's working in hardship
to demonstrate power.
The reality is
hardship is coming.
Some of us are facing
a lot of it right now.
Others,
it might just be
around the corner.
We don't know.
But it is of great purpose
in God's world.
But we keep moving
in the passage
and we see
in verses 13 to 15
that Paul issues
a few different motivations
that help him
endure in the midst
of hardship.
Verse 13,
it starts a little weird here.
So let's look at it together
and see what Paul's
getting at.
He quotes Psalm 116.
It's a psalm that,
it's anonymous
as far as we can tell.
There's no name
attached to it.
It seems a bit random,
but then when we start
looking at the content
of the psalm,
we see why Paul
would reference it.
So if you want to flip back
to Psalm 116,
I'm going to point
something out
in this psalm.
Just as a general rule,
whenever the New Testament
kind of quotes
a little sliver
of the Old Testament,
it's always good
to go back
and read the context
because the context
is going to fill in
what that New Testament
writer was thinking
about as he's quoting.
This passage.
So Psalm 116,
we're going to read
from 8 to 14.
Verse 10 is what
Paul is quoting.
So verse 8,
He's saying this in the midst
of affliction.
I will lift up the cup
of salvation
and call on the name
of the Lord.
I will pay my vows
to the Lord
in the presence
of his people.
Paul is motivated here
by who God is.
He's saying this in the midst
of faith.
saying,
I too am afflicted
and I too believe
in this God.
So I too will speak
of his goodness.
Paul is motivated here
by who God is.
His person,
his character,
his work on his behalf.
It's an intimacy
with God
that motivates Paul
to continue enduring
in the midst
of hardship.
None of us
needs to wait
until hardship strikes
to cultivate
this kind of intimacy.
In fact,
we ought to be nurturing it
day by day
by day
because when hardship comes,
we want to know
who God is.
We don't want to be
floundering in that moment.
But not just,
Paul's not just motivated
by who God is.
Look with me
at verse 14.
Paul's also motivated
by resurrection,
hope.
He says,
we're speaking
of this goodness
of God
knowing that
he who raised
the Lord Jesus
will raise us
also with Jesus.
He's motivated
because he knows
a living God,
not one buried
in a tomb.
And he knows
that the promise
remains for him
that one day
he will be raised
to glory.
Affliction has
a period
at the end of it.
One day
it will be over.
The current situation
doesn't crush Paul
because he knows
the risen Jesus
and the promise
of his own
eventual resurrection
and eternal life.
there's two more
motivations here
we see.
They're both
in verse 15.
First is that
Paul's motivated
by the good
of others.
See that
at the beginning
of 15?
For it is all
for your sake
he tells the Corinthians.
It's all for your sake
so that his grace
extends to more
and more people
it may increase
thanksgiving.
Paul's willing
to give of himself
for the good
of other people.
it so motivates him
that he can suffer
great affliction
and harm.
He wants more
and more people
to experience
this treasure
this good news
the grace of God
and he's willing
to suffer much
for that to happen.
And ultimately
the last motivation
that trumps
all of the motivations
in these three verses
is that last phrase
to the glory
of God.
See when Paul
is living so much
for the glory
of God
so much
to see the surpassing
power belonging
to God
so much
for seeing
the life of Jesus
made much of
in his life
it's the ultimate
and lasting motivation
that we all need
so that God
may be exalted.
Paul's living
for glory
not his own
but that of God.
He's motivated
to endure.
if we fast forward
to today
we see that
we live in a world
and in a culture
in which hardship
is deemed bad.
Something we are
wise to avoid
something that we
need to reduce
and eliminate
as quickly as possible
whenever it
appears.
We see this playing out
in the medical field
where people are
actually helping
other people die
saying well you're
suffering a lot
so let's just
let's kill you now
so you don't have
to suffer.
Image bearers
being helped
to kill themselves.
It's something
that tempts us
to compromise
our morals
and sidestep
this hardship
that might result
from being people
of integrity
doesn't it?
We might lie
to a boss
or a co-worker
in order to save
ourselves
we might say
okay I'll fudge
those financial numbers
or something like that.
So some of us
today
we're kind of
at this crossroads
we have this option
before us
we have the means
some of us
to avoid much
of the hardship
of life.
Right?
If we have
financial
stability
and relational
connectedness
and a good
education behind us
we have this means
of just avoiding
much of the hardship
of life.
We have to ask
ourselves
will we align
with Jesus
and suffer?
Will we speak
of God's grace
because we've too
believed
and risk
being
hated
by friends
family
neighbors?
will we choose
God glorifying
integrity
and risk
losing
our jobs?
Risk
having to pay
more taxes?
Will we
so
be willing
to seek
the good
of others
that we might
get scammed
along the way?
That sometimes
our desire
to do good
for others
and to show
them Christ
results in us
having a lighter
wallet
and them
having some
drug money?
It's happened.
Will we
align with
Jesus
and suffer?
But other
times
and for some
in this room
there's a
different crossroads
you're already
on the path
of hardship
you know it
oh so well.
Marriage
or family
difficulties
health issues
that have
no cure
relentless
sorrow
for your
unsaved
neighbors
be mocked
by co-workers
for loving
Jesus
and there's
a different
question
at that
crossroads
will we
align
ourselves
with God's
purposes
in this
hardship
will we
grab hold
of the same
motivations
that Paul
does
the hope
of resurrection
the good
of other
people
the glory
of God
will
hardship
get the
better
of us
will it
define
our
existence
or will
God
define
it
and will
we
endure
in order
that Jesus
might be
glorified
in and
through
our
suffering
for all
of us
it boils
down to
this
question
are we
willing
to endure
hardship
for Jesus
to adopt
his posture
in the midst
of our
own
suffering
to sacrifice
our well-being
for the life
of Jesus
to be seen
and known
around the
world
God intends
for it
it's his
desire
that his
power might
be displayed
through our
weakness
for his
glory
and our
good
there's one
last section
in our
text
I want to
make sure
that we
spend some
time here
this is
probably my
favorite part
verses 16
to 18
it's Paul's
perspective
on
affliction
he starts
so we do
not lose
heart
right up
front in
these verses
Paul rejects
the idea
of discouragement
throwing in
the towel
in fact
he doubles
down and
stands tall
and fast
he determines
by God's
grace to
persevere
I'm going
to share a
little story
of a man
named Sir
Norman
Anderson
got this
from a
John Piper
sermon
that's
really helped
me along
the way
he writes
of this
man
Sir
Norman
Anderson
former
professor
and director
of the
Advanced
Legal
Institute
at London
University
supported
international
fellowship
of evangelical
students
for 60
years
he had
lost
all three
of his
children
in their
early
adulthood
and his
wife was
so senile
she could
not recognize
him
at one of
the last
public
events
where he
spoke
he was
asked
when you
look back
over your
life
and reflect
on the
fact that
you have
lost all
your three
children
and how
your wife
of 60
years
no longer
recognizes
you
do you
ever ask
the question
why me
no
I've
never
asked
the
question
why me
but I
have
asked
the
question
why
not
me
I
am
not
promised
as a
Christian
that I
will
escape
the
problems
encountered
by
others
we
all
live
in a
fallen
world
I
am
however
promised
that
in the
midst
of
difficulties
God
through
Christ
will
be
present
with
me
and
will
give
his
grace
to help
me cope
with the
difficulties
and bear
witness
to him
Sir Norman
Anderson
had
perspective
on
hardship
and
Paul
gives
us
much
perspective
here
if we
keep
looking
at
these
verses
he's
already
talked
about
jars
of
clay
about
mortal
flesh
and
now
he
comes
in
verse
16
to
talking
about
this
outer
self
that's
wasting
away
there's
this
real
and
agonizing
decay
and
suffering
being
experienced
by
Paul
but
while in
the midst
of it
he says
in the
second
bit
of
16
that
day
by day
the inner
being
is being
renewed
friends
as
as a
Christian
in our
affliction
we must
say that
we're
like a
book
and that
you should
not judge
a Christian
by
his
cover
outwardly
wasting
away
inwardly
new
day
after
day
after
day
that's
the
power
of
God
renewing
the inner
being
of each
and every
Christian
around
the world
in the
midst
of great
and small
afflictions
alike
it's the
power
of God
for us
Paul
has such
a great
perspective
of self
but he
also has
in these
same
verses
a great
great
perspective
on
affliction
we're
wrapping
up
as we
take a
look at
these
look at
verse 17
this
light
momentary
affliction
we need
to be
careful
in this
not to
miss
Paul's
point
hardship
has the
word
hard
in it
for a
reason
and Paul
is not
here
minimizing
real
affliction
rather
he is
placing it
side by
side
with a
future
reality
Paul
knows
the
tendency
of our
hearts
when we
start
thinking
about
affliction
and hardship
we tend
to be
microscope
people
a conflict
or a
medical
issue
or a
job
concern
arises
and we
take
this
issue
and we
put it
under
this
microscope
meant to
magnify
little
things
into
really
big
things
so we
can
see
the
details
and so
we
put it
under
there
and we
start
noticing
every
little
detail
of it
we
become
expert
hardship
analysts
and
scientists
putting
all of
our
problems
under
these
microscopes
all the
while
losing
perspective
because
we
become
so
focused
on
this
problem
and
Paul
would
have
us
think
differently
the
problem
with
microscopes
we
know
is
they
take
relatively
small
things
and
they
make
them
appear
humongous
Paul
says
affliction
is
actually
tiny
affliction
is
actually
small
not
all
by
itself
but
when
you
set
it
next
to
glory
light
and
momentary
versus
heavy
and
eternal
Paul
could
not
choose
words
that
more
greatly
contrast
than
he
has
and
the
thing
about
glory
is
we
don't
need
a
microscope
to
examine
it
we
need
a
telescope
of
faith
to
look
beyond
what
is
seen
into
the
supernatural
into
the
unseen
realities
of
God
that
he's
declared
to
us
in
his
word
God
has
told
us
that
glory
that
heaven
that
eternity
is
so
good
and
huge
and
satisfying
and
yet
to
our
eyes
it
can
appear
insignificant
far
away
and
unreachable
we
need
to
be
like
the
star
gazers
at
night
in
the
midst
of
hardship
by
faith
day
after
day
examine
eternity
and
the
things
of
heaven
not
to
magnify
something
small
but
to
see
it
in
its
true
size
and
its
true
value
and
its
true
weight
Paul
sets
a grain
of sand
side
by side
with the
galaxies
of the
universe
and says
which is
more weighty
and where
should you
spend your
time
how
Paul
how
can I
get this
perspective
verse 18
as we
look
not to the
things that are
seen
but to the
things that are
unseen
Paul
says
that's
how
not
focusing
our
attention
and our
energies
on our
hardships
but looking
to the
unseen
realities
of the
kingdom
of God
this
looking
word
is
it's a
little bit
unhelpful
in the
ESV
the
NIV
folks
you might
see it
a little
bit more
helpfully
fix
our
eyes
what
Paul
is saying
in verse
18
is
that
we
challenge
glory
to a
staring
contest
and then
purpose
to win
say
alright
you and
me glory
we're
going to
lock
eyes
and I
ain't
going to
blink
I'm
going to
focus
on you
so
intently
that
nothing
is
going to
distract
me
from
you
fix
your
gaze
on
glory
that's
the
perspective
that we
need
in the
midst
of
hardship
not
a mere
passing
glance
and as
we fix
our
gaze
we
refuse
to
pull
out
that
microscope
and
start
magnifying
our
problems
that's
the
God
pleasing
perspective
on
hardship
we
set
our
sights
on
glory
and
we
persevere
we
have
this
mindset
we
know
that
God
is
using
our
hardship
for
good
Romans
8
28
we
know
he
intends
to
demonstrate
his
power
through
our
weakness
and
we've
resolved
as
followers
of
Jesus
to
live
our
lives
for
the
glory
of
God
and
the
good
of
others
in
a
world
that
values
so
much
human
ingenuity
and
strength
and
prestige
and
influence
we
long
for
the
life
of
Jesus
to be
seen
and known
through
our
clay
pots
as
disciples
who are
living
intentionally
for
Jesus
we draw
on Paul's
example
knowing
that
hardships
are normal
it's part
of life
and if we
identify with
Jesus
we can expect
more
and we
take hold
of the same
motivations
that drove
Paul to
endure so
much
day
after day
we
remember
to
the glory
of God
the good
of others
the resurrection
hope
and the
character
and person
of God
who never
lies
we keep
this right
perspective
on affliction
versus glory
and we know
that these
afflictions are
preparing
glory
for us
Paul says
not just
something we
have to just
kind of bear
with for a
while but
we see
what God's
using them
to do
to demonstrate
his power
to refine
us
to bring
us home
forever
with him
I just
want to
close with
three specific
encouragements
I realize
that's
been a lot
if you're
in the room
today
and you're
experiencing
hardship
of any
kind
whether
it's
just
you feel
the weight
of financial
strain
or you're
suffering
at work
they're
telling you
to compromise
your integrity
whatever it
may be
friend know
this
that God
has much
grace
for you
much
grace
the one
who did
not spare
his own
son
will along
with Jesus
give you
everything you
need to
and do
her well
by faith
he's
promised
you can
go to
him
with all
of it
second
don't be
afraid to
ask for
help
we're jars
of clay
after all
we're weak
in ourselves
we need
each other
God
does not
give the
church
as a
gift
so that
we can
suffer
in silence
all alone
we're in
it together
so take
courage
and ask
and finally
for all
of us
let's
remember
Jesus
he suffered
so much
hardship
for us
that he
might bring
us to
God
we all
need him
we all
need his
grace
we all
need his
hardship
for us
to redeem
our lives
and let's
remember how
he lovingly
took the
hardship of
other people
and walked
with them
as we live
for him
let's follow
his example
let's pray
father
thank you
for
being so
mighty
and so
powerful
and so
good
that you
would use
even the
hardest
things of
our lives
to showcase
your power
and glory
father
I pray
that you
would help
us
we don't
think this
way
but we
want to
as your
people
help us
think as
you do
about these
things
help us
to suffer
well
knowing that
it's
temporary
give us
a glimpse
of just
how glorious
and wonderful
eternity
with you
is
so that
we might
endure
by faith
we pray
in Jesus
name
amen