Looking to Christ

If you would turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians Chapter 4. 2 Corinthians Chapter 4 will be my primary text this morning. I want to thank again the worship team, especially the students for the great job that they've done leading us today. I want to mention as well, two weeks from tonight, we have outdoor worship night.

You've probably seen that on the website or on the slides. It's only two weeks from tonight, 7 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, bring blankets and our worship team and band will lead us in a night of worship. Hopefully, not just great music that night, but also a great night of community. A great night for the family of God to celebrate just being together and enjoying one another and pray that that's marked on your calendar.

More details to come. Speaking of the family of God, aren't you thankful for the great family of God? God has called us the church, the bride of Christ, the family of God and how we've experienced that, especially in times of hardship. This past week, as has already been mentioned, thank you so much for the love and support that you've shown for the Monroe family and for one another this week. I spoke with John last night and he once again asked me to pass along their thanks for the outpouring of love and for the ongoing prayers. Pastor Cashwell will be preaching next Sunday and Lord willing, tentatively John, Pastor Monroe will be back in the pulpit two weeks from today on May 16th. Please continue to remember them in your prayers, obviously, as I know you do. To John and Goodney's credit, most all of you in this room and many on the live stream know them personally.

Please respect their privacy as you've done, but also at the same time. Please pray for them and thank you so much for your continued support. As we got this horrible news a week ago today of Christopher Monroe's passing on Monday, Jordan Shaw, our chief of staff here at the church, pulled the staff together on a Zoom call and he asked Jim Cashwell and myself to give a short devotion that morning. As I was trying a Sunday night, just overwhelmed with the news that we'd received that day and also trying to think of what to share to our staff at that time.

The word that just kept coming to me that night was the word loss. As we look back over this past year with the pandemic, just unimaginable loss. We know many of you have been devastated by the passing of loved ones. We've all been impacted, heartbroken as we see these images around the world. Eric prayed for the situation in India.

We have one of our faithful choir members there right now whose mom is COVID in ICU. Just all of the other economic impact, the division that we've seen in our country, some without housing. All of these situations can cause us to lose heart. All of this loss can even move some to give up. I think that's our emphasis today. That's what God's word says to us.

Don't give up. In these times, where do we look? Of course, we look up. We lift up our eyes to the maker of heaven and earth, to our redeemer who is our help. We want to look at this passage today from 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

I think it'll be on the screen here. You may have it in front of you in your Bible. Let me read this. 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, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Notice the first line there in this passage. It says, so we do not lose heart. Some translations have therefore in that word there. So it's obviously referring to the previous verses. So just for some context, let's look back a little bit here in the word in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, beginning in verse 1. It says, therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. There's that phrase again. We don't lose heart.

We don't give up. Verse 6, for God who said, let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ speaks there. The one who said, let there be light, God our creator has shown in our hearts is also our Redeemer. Verse 7, but we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Breakable clay pots, though we are, God has entrusted us with the treasure of this gospel message. Verse 8, he says, we're afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. Over in verse 14, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence, the promise of deliverance and of eternal life to the follower of Christ. Verse 15, 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. Second Corinthians 1 begins with a great emphasis on the God of all comfort. It mentions, uses the word comfort many times in that chapter and it talks about how that he comforts us so that we might comfort others in their affliction. As we experience God's comfort, we become a conduit of his comfort and here is the same principle.

As we receive God's grace and as we grow in Christ like concentric circles, it extends to more and more people and increases thanksgiving to the glory of God. So with these truths and many others in this book, we come to verse 16 and Paul proclaims, so therefore we do not lose heart. We do not give up and like the apostle Paul, maybe not to the same degree, we all have trials and afflictions that come into our life.

Life can be very difficult to state the obvious. It has been unimaginably difficult for our church this past week. Paul talks later in Second Corinthians about the pressures from outside and the pressures from within. Fightings on the outside, fightings from within. They speak of the heart here. Think of our hearts and how our hearts are heavy, even broken hearted. Some might say they feel like a piece of their heart is gone forever when they lose a loved one. Our hearts have all been moved, but as in this passage, we are not to lose heart.

We are not to give up. We see here both contrast and continuation. It's a continuation of these thoughts that we've already read in this chapter, but there's also these contrasts that are mentioned in these verses. First of all, it talks about what is decaying. Our flesh is decaying, yet our inner person can be renewed. It talks about the momentary affliction and then eternal glory.

It talks about what is seen and what is unseen, all really along the same principle of living our lives in light of eternity, not getting immersed in what is right in front of us, but being reminded of eternity and living for Christ. Martin Luther in the 16th century has been recorded as saying there are two days on his calendar, this day and that day. This day, of course, referring to the moment that God has given to us right now, that day, meaning the glorious day when we see the Lord, when we're forever with the Lord. For the Christian, that's a great principle to live by, this day and that day, not becoming preoccupied with yesterday, certainly not mired in the regrets of yesterday, not worrying about tomorrow or the next day or the next days, but fully engaged in this day and always living in light of that day, in light of eternity. Here we have a key to not giving up, not losing heart, looking to Christ. We're going to glean a couple principles from these verses to come. First of all, look to Christ for spiritual growth and renewal each day. Look to Christ for spiritual growth and renewal each day. It says in verse 16, we don't lose heart, so our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

This picture is vivid and is obvious for us. First of all, the outer person is decaying. Other translations, it's fading away. We are aging or in a particular way, we might be physically weakened or emotionally weakened. At the very best, our physical bodies can betray us. It's just a natural aging process and I think for most, that's kind of discouraging. I don't know if I've ever heard anybody say, you know, man, I just can't wait to get old and my back hurt all the time.

I know I've lost a step, but I just can't wait to slow down a little bit more. Of course, we don't think like that, right? Even though our body is decaying. On the flip side of that, here it says not to lose heart. I don't know if I've ever heard anybody say, you know, man, I really want to lose heart.

I just hope I hear something super discouraging today. We don't think like that. We're born with a heart that's wayward. We need a redeemed heart, but nobody begins with just a heart that wants to give up. It just happens over time. So we look to Christ to strengthen our inner person. Think of this even as our bodies age physically decaying, inwardly we can be renewed. Vicki and I have been blessed with two grandchildren, Henry who's 18 months and Miles who's three months and just interacting with them and just the feel of a baby's skin or a toddler's skin and being around them and just the freshness of life. Keith Green, who was a Christian artist and wrote songs like There is a Redeemer and Oh Lord You're Beautiful, I think back in the 70s and was taken in a plane crash in the 80s. But I remember hearing him talk about one of the songs he'd written and he said, you know, I just want to have baby skin on my heart. What a vivid picture.

I want to have baby skin on my heart. And even as our outward self are wasting away, inwardly we can be life giving and growing each day fully alive. That's what God gives to us.

Look at these, look at a couple of verses on this principle. Notice in verse 16 it says that we're being renewed day by day, being renewed. Now what is renewal? What do we know that we need to get our driver's license renewed?

We need to renew a book from the library before we start paying fines. Our cars will run out of gas. What about ourselves? We enjoy a great meal but we need another one.

Our energy reserves will be depleted. We need strength and these things are obvious. We need renewal, kind of re-new, made new again. And so how do we do this? Like the children of Israel who came to the Lord each day for manna, each and every day we need to come to the Lord to be renewed daily. Each day is an important principle in this. Day by day it says in the verse, coming to the Lord. Now a couple of verses I wanted to share along these lines. First of all Romans 12 2 says, don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Now that's a familiar verse if you've been in church for any length of time. Don't let the world conform us. Don't let the world squeeze us into its mold in any way but inwardly being renewed in the Lord. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Another verse, Colossians 3 10 says, put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

A couple important things there. First of all put on the new self being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. And we see this in several places in the Bible where it talks about putting on, putting on the armor, putting on certain attributes of the Lord.

Again there's an implication that this is a daily adornment and inwardly a daily consumption. It says being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. There's a direct correlation between what we put and what we take into our minds and the condition of our heart.

Direct correlation between what we take into our minds. Here it's talking about knowledge. The knowledge of Christ. Now this is more than just knowledge about Christ isn't it? More than just information or facts for their own sake. 1 Corinthians 8 1 says that knowledge puffs up but love edifies. There are probably people walking around with giant heads full of knowledge but hearts like the Grinch that are many sizes too small. Filled with knowledge not filled with love. Think of all the other things that we can fill our minds with. Endless source of information. Bad news.

Division. Vulgarity. Even just time wasted on amusement and social media. Just constant, constant information filling our minds. Some of it perhaps not as harmless as we may think for distraction or amusement. No we have to fill our minds with the knowledge of God's word.

And this is a daily occurrence. Day by day. Each day filling our minds because we need renewed. It's not like we can take a drink from kind of the fountain of spiritual growth and then we're just instantly forever.

No we get depleted. We need daily to take in from God's worth. And 2 knowledge of Christ. Knowledge of God of course refers to a relationship.

This is more than just information. This is knowing Christ. The students saying from Philippians chapter 3, whatever gain I had this I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. The surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I think an important principle from that as well with the Apostle Paul because in Philippians chapter 3 he talks about his religious, his pedigree and his religious zeal.

But he said all of that religion he counts as nothing. He counts it as rubbish so he may gain Christ pressing on looking up to Christ. I think we need to be reminded be careful times when we're heavy hearted not to revert back to former things but to keep looking up to Christ as we move up and toward him.

So how do we do this? How do we renew our inner man? We have to come to God's word daily. Pray. Ask the Spirit to make alive his word. To rely on him. To obey his word. Grow in his grace and knowledge.

And again to daily occurrence and I would challenge you what are you going to do on Monday? What are you going to do this Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday to be renewed in the knowledge of our great creator and redeemer? And God is faithful to replenish us. We know from the verse his mercies are new every morning.

Every morning. Great is his faithfulness. Even though outwardly we might be wasting away we look to Christ and are renewed each day. Now part of the transformation and part of the renewal even involves suffering. As a student is saying there's an element of the fellowship of Christ's suffering. Look in verse 17 as this continues. It says this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

So not only is there a contrast there but there's also a continuity. We know from later in 2 Corinthians in chapter 5 it talks about when the believer will stand before the Lord and will receive rewards for our ministry. Will it be wood, hay and stubble or will it be gold, silver and precious stones? So the weight of our suffering is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory. But also in this we have the perspective of the backdrop of eternity. Trials overwhelm us. We're reminded that affliction is light and momentary against glory.

So this gives us another principle. First of all look to Christ for spiritual renewal every day. Second look to Christ for a perspective on eternity. Look to Christ for a perspective on eternity. Look over in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and starting in verse 24.

We already talked in 2 Corinthians 4 with Paul in some of this. We are hard pressed on every side. We're struck down but not destroyed. He's talking about the hardships he's endured.

Here's another list of his hardships. Verse 24. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked.

A night and a day I was adrift at sea on frequent journeys. In danger from rivers. Danger from robbers. Danger from my own people. Danger from Gentiles. Danger in the city. Danger in the wilderness. Danger at sea. Danger from false brothers. In toil and hardship through many a sleepless night and hunger and thirst often without food and cold and exposure and apart from other things there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all of the churches. Chapter 12 talks about the thorn in the flesh that Paul had that he asked the Lord to take from him and the Lord did not but he said my grace is sufficient for you. So all of these things that Paul dealt with.

Chapter 1. He was recounting another experience. It said in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. Something so traumatic that it made him despair even of life.

So all of this list but all of this he said all of this is light and momentary. Weighed against the immensity and the glory of eternity. Light momentary affliction producing for us an eternal weight of glory. I know many of you were here. Thank you again on Friday for the funeral for Christopher Monroe. Many of you joined on live stream and I went in and Pastor Monroe came up and shared incredibly powerful testimony. First of all the heartbreak of the passing of Christopher but also recounting all of the good some of the good experiences and giving thanks to God for 37 years with Christopher.

I thought what a great example of being thankful even in the midst of devastating circumstances. And Vicki and I were together with John and Goodney and a couple others later that day and John shared that some of the middle schoolers had given him some cards and he read a couple and one of them used this verse. Romans 8 18 it says for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that's to be revealed in us. Romans 8 18 two principles there. First of all another reminder that the next generation is alive and well at Calvary Church. Think of these students writing such thoughtful spiritual comments and then also this principle again of temporary trial doesn't remove the pain doesn't remove the overwhelming wave that may wash over us but reminds us that it's eclipsed in eternity with the weight of glory. This eternal perspective continues in the last part of these verses here says in verse 18 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 and this principle again of seeing the eternal as we look around all the things that consume so much of our time and our energy our houses our cars our clothes even things like this beautiful campus that we enjoy here at Calvary all of these things will fade away all of these things will be gone all of these things are transient but God his word our souls are eternal so we have to resist this temptation to get mired in the things that are temporary and focus on what is eternal. We walk by faith not by sight this is central in our in our Christian faith isn't it this element of seeing the invisible living for eternity we're even reminded of a battle that we don't see Ephesians 6 10 says be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might we don't wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers authorities and cosmic powers over this darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places even the battle is invisible and we're reminded of the great role that we have in sharing the gospel and glorifying God as he is our redeemer we walk by faith not by sight we see the eternal many of you know of Jim Valvano the great coach of NC State basketball coach won a national championship coach who passed away from cancer in 1993 and about six weeks before he passed away he accepted an ESPY award awards for I think for athletic team and individual achievement and he gave one of the most incredibly inspiring speech he said during that speech cancer can take away all my physical abilities but it cannot touch my mind it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul those three things are going to carry on forever and he talked about his cancer foundation that he was founding with the motto don't give up don't ever give up and as we look to Christ for renewal our hearts are strengthened I'm going to read one verse or one more passage I think that talks about this principle from Hebrews 12 it says therefore since we're surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus looking to Christ the founder and the perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God where we know he still prays for and intercedes for each of us consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted in the power of our Savior considering our Savior that we might not grow weary or faint-hearted turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace look to Christ don't lose heart don't give up don't ever give up I'm going to look at one more principle now as we transition into communion here in a couple minutes we have this great ordinance that the Lord gives us that we get to share in together looking over in John chapter 3 just for a moment John 3 16 of course a great verse on the by on the gospel for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life but looking here in John 3 at verse 14 and verse 15 it says as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness this refers back to a an account in Numbers chapter 21 where the children of Israel were grumbling again against God wanting to go back to Egypt and they were stricken with serpents and so Moses intercedes and the Lord provides for them a way of salvation Moses lifts up a serpent they look to the serpent and they're healed it's obviously a picture of what's to come and it's used here in John chapter 3 speaking of the Lord himself will be lifted up the Son of Man that whoever believes in him may have eternal life when the Lord of course of course was lifted on the cry on the cross this is a first importance the Christ died for our sins that he was buried and that he rose again so in addition to looking to Christ for daily renewal for internal perspective we look to Christ for salvation the gospel each of us has sinned no matter whether we would view it as small sin or giant criminal sins each of us has sinned that sin creates a separation from God the wages of our sin is death there is no filling that gap other than Christ the one mediator between God and man he has paid the penalty the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord who paid the penalty for our sins so we look up to Christ we look up to the cross for salvation and like Paul says in 2 Corinthians in another spot we implore you to respond to the gospel and if you've not trusted in Christ for salvation we implore you to do that to receive Christ to confess your sins not just to believe that God exists James tells us that even the demons believe he exists but to look to him for salvation there's nothing I can do with myself to save myself I can't build up enough good works to somehow finally get up to God it's not okay that I'm just a pretty good person we're all sinners we're all separated only Christ can come down bridge that gap and we just believe and receive that gift of salvation look to Christ for salvation one more scripture as we move into communion here look over in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 we'll read a couple verses and then we'll begin the communion portion of our service here for 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 23 these verses on the Lord's table on communion for I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup and so today if you're not yet a follower of Christ we ask that you abstain from participating in this great ordinance we have sin that is separating us from God we ask that you abstain and for each one of us we're to examine ourselves here it's biblical so as we receive these elements of the bread and the wine to ask the Spirit to search our hearts and point out any offensive way within us in this time of confession so we're gonna have the ushers come forward we'll begin distributing communion we'll have some music during this thanks to those of you on the live stream for joining I think after the music I will say goodbye to you for this week until next week but let's reflect on the great gift of the Lord his sacrifice for us and ask his spirit to search our hearts thank you