In Thursday's study Paul spoke about being down but not out. He and the other ministers of the gospel dealt with daily hardships and faced the constant threat of death, yet they refused to feel defeated. He encourages his readers not to allow anything to make them feel defeated. Our mortal bodies are subject to all the troubles of this world, just as the body of Jesus was. But the Lord Jesus triumphed over His enemies and over death itself. Our victory is in Him and we have a hope no one can ever take away. Paul reminds us to keep our minds on the big picture and not to allow ourselves to be beaten down by the trials and troubles of this world.
"We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that His life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." (2 Corinthians 4:10-12) I think Paul's words have a double meaning. He and the other apostles suffered in body as they carried the gospel to the world, plus they knew that at any moment they might be arrested and even martyred for the faith. In that sense they were carrying around in their body the death of Jesus, for the same persecution that came against Him was now coming against them. In another sense I think Paul means they were dying to "self" as they submitted their lives to Christ in preaching the gospel. Our mortal bodies don't enjoy any type of suffering, yet these men willingly endured it for the sake of Christ and for the sake of those who had never heard of Him. So he says, "Death is at work in us. We suffer for the gospel. We risk death for the gospel. But look at the result of our suffering: you are saved by your faith in Christ! Life is at work in you, because once you were lost and now you are found."
"It is written: 'I believed; therefore have I spoken.' Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 4:13-15) Paul quotes Psalm 116, a psalm that gives thanks to God for deliverance from death. In David's case, he was primarily speaking of salvation from physical death. There were a number of times in David's life when it appeared death from an enemy was imminent, so he thanks the Lord for allowing him to remain in the land of the living. (Psalm 116:8-9) But Paul takes it a step further and uses the psalm to give thanks for salvation from spiritual death. David believed in the Lord, so he cried to Him for help, saying, "Lord, save me!" (Psalm 116:4) In the same way, when Paul believed on the Lord, he cried to Him for help, saying, "Lord, save me!" When we came to the realization that we were lost sinners in need of the Savior, and when we acknowledged that Christ has the power to help us, our hearts cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Paul knows he may lose his life for preaching the gospel. He also knows that because he believes in Christ he will be raised from the dead someday with a body just like Christ's. He reminds the believers at Corinth that they too will share in this resurrection. He reminds us today that we who believe in Christ will share in this resurrection. David had this same faith in the resurrection, though he lived centuries before the Messiah came, and he said, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants." (Psalm 116:15) David was thankful that the Lord had spared his life many times, but he knew that eventually death would have a temporary victory over his mortal body. At the same time he knew that the Lord would have the eternal victory and would raise his body from the dead, along with the bodies of all the saints from all eras. This is why the death of the Lord's saints is precious in His eyes. The death of the body is a temporary thing. The Lord doesn't have to weep over our graves; the Lord lovingly watches over our mortal bodies as they sleep, while at the same time He welcomes our souls into His presence. Someday Christ will call our bodies out of the dust and they will be reunited with our souls and we will enjoy the freedom of bodies that are not subject to disease and death. My husband and I are going to the funeral home tonight because his great aunt passed on this week. But we have the same faith as David and Paul and we know that her soul is with the Lord she served. We have faith that the Lord will call her body out of the grave someday to be reunited with her soul, and she will never die again.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Nothing we suffer for the Lord or for His saints is ever wasted. Paul knows he has an eternal reward reserved in heaven for the work he has done in sharing the gospel. As he said in his letter to the Hebrews, "God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." (Hebrews 6:10)
Sometimes we suffer unnecessarily because of sins we commit and mistakes we make, but nothing we endure for the sake of the gospel will go unrewarded. It would have been easy for Paul to say, "I've been arrested, beaten, and pelted with rocks for preaching the gospel. I've been shipwrecked. I've gone hungry and thirsty. I've spent many sleepless nights. I've been shunned and disrespected. This is a thankless job! I'm just going to quit and go home." But instead he says, "These sufferings are light and momentary. The reward for my sufferings will last forever. So I'm keeping my eye on the prize. I'm keeping the big picture in view. If I don't preach the gospel, there are souls that won't be saved. If I don't preach the gospel, I'm living in disobedience to the One who called me to be an apostle. I will, therefore, gladly endure whatever is necessary to fulfill my calling in Christ."
You and I will probably not have to give our lives for proclaiming the gospel of Christ, but if we serve Him and if we serve His saints we will have to give up something. We will have to die to "self", and this will mean making sacrifices. We may sacrifice time and energy, or money, or popularity. But nothing we sacrifice for Christ and His saints will ever be lost. The reward for our service is eternal. So don't lose heart! Keep your eyes on what is unseen, as Paul did.
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