TIME OUT with Pastor Ben Talley - 2 Corinthians 4:16 18

Good morning. This is Pastor Ben. I'm Benjamin Talley, and I'm the associate pastor at Whitman Memorial Baptist Church, and it is a joy for me to spend time in the Word with you today. It's a beautiful day to be alive in Jesus Christ, and let's just dig into the Word.

Not Losing Heart in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We'll be in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 16 through 18. These are some favorite passages of mine. Always an encouragement to me, so let me encourage you with this. So it says in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 16 through 18, it says,.

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 being prepared 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. So he says, first of all, we do not lose heart.

We do not lose heart because though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. So we are being renewed day by day. Let that encourage you. Though you go through trials and tribulations and storms and different things in this world, though you go through struggles, know that you are being renewed day by day.

God is renewing you day by day. And so it says, So our outer self, that is the outer man, there is the makeup of every man. We have both the outer man and the inner man. And that is the dichotomy of the human being.

Now for the lost, the inner man is dead, is spiritually dead. That is the spiritual man, he is dead in his sins and trespasses. But for us, the inner man is alive, we are awakened, we are quickened. And so it says, though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

God is renewing the inner man. He is renewing the inner man because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And so he says we are renewed day by day. Then he says in verse 17,. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

Eternal Weight of Glory and Looking to the Unseen

So for this light momentary affliction, that is anything we're going through now, this light momentary affliction. Notice first that anything you go through in this world is light. Number one is light.

It is momentary. Okay, it is just for a minute compared to eternity. So compared to eternity, anything you go through, whether it be a trial, whether it be a tribulation, you know, suffering of any kind, hardship, persecution, whatever, know that it is light and it is momentary.

You say, well, it seems kind of rough compared to what Christ went through. It is light. Light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. So eternal weight.

Weight is a burden. So yes, we will have burdens, but just like Matthew 11 says, Jesus says, come take my burden upon you. His burden is light. We will carry a burden, but it is light. And just like that, just like eternal, just like we have a weight that we're carrying with him, we have an eternal weight, a weight, a burden of glory, of glory, guys, a blessing, a blessedness that we will enter into.

That is, check this out, beyond all comparison, beyond comparison of anything else in this world, anything else, beyond all comparison of anything else in this world. So that's something to look forward to.

That's something that should drive us in this world to stay faithful to him because we love him and he has good in store for us. That should keep us in line in suffering, that we are strangers in this world.

We don't belong to this world. We are not of this world. So we should not act like it. We should act as though we are strangers of this world. It says, for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

And then it says this, this is the, so that is the first what we know about our afflictions. And this is the imperative. So before it was the indicative, here's the imperative. It says, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.

So this is what we should be doing. We should be looking to the things that are not seen, to the things that are unseen. Well, how do we do that? We know that the kingdom is real. We know that God is real.

Like I said before, we should, we should not be majoring on circumstances. We should be majoring on God. We should let God's word define us. We should let God's word define our circumstances and situations.

We should let God's word define who we are. We should let God's word define our circumstances. You know, that he is faithful, that he is working, that he is aware of our circumstances, that he is active, that he is not sitting by doing nothing, that he is sovereign over our circumstances.

You know, we should let these eternal principles in the Bible define our circumstances and everything we go through. So we are looking not to the seen, but to the unseen. And then it says this, it says, for that, for that, uh, for the things that are, that are seen are transient or trans, transistent or whatever that word is.

Um, I, I failed in, in English, uh, pretty, or literature or whatever that is. It just means momentary or, or, uh, uh, temporary. Um, it's another word for temporary. I'm in the English standard version.

Um, so, so what is seen is temporary. That means that everything else in this world is passing away. So we should not be drawn to the things of this world. We should not get comfortable in this world.

We don't belong here. We should not be comfortable in the things we have in this world. We should not be seeking personal possessions. Shouldn't be storing up treasures here. We don't belong here. And then he says this, he says, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

We should be storing up treasures in heaven, in heaven. It means doing good works, storing up treasures in heaven, things that moth and earth and dust and mold will not, uh, perish, you know, uh, will not waste away.

Seeking First the Kingdom and Living for What Is Eternal

So let this encourage you. Um, so let me, let me, let me read it again. It says, 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. Let that dwell in your mind and let it get to your heart and be saturated, uh, saturating your heart with the truth.

Um, because that is a principle or principles that we really need to remember that I think a lot of Christians are not understanding. Um, we don't belong to this world. We don't need to focus on the things of this world, but focus on things that are eternal.

Um, Matthew 6, 33 or six, uh, uh, chapter six, it says, um, uh, seek you first, the kingdom of God, uh, and his righteousness and all of these things will be added on team. So, uh, so that's what we need to be focusing on.

Um, seeking the kingdom and his righteousness. Good morning, Lisa, and all these things will be added unto us. So as you think on these things, let it marinate your heart and your mind and, uh, saturate within your inner man.

As we talked about your inner man and let that, uh, just flow through you today, uh, and encourage you. Um, God is good. I encourage you to spend time in the word, uh, spend time in the scriptures. Um, let's worship God today.

Let's honor him. Uh, let me, may every word and thought and deed be pleasing in the sight. Um, and let's, uh, it's a good day to be alive in Jesus guys. And this is so encouraging me. It's so encouraging to the world.

We would just seek it and obey it. I love you guys. And, uh, I'll see y 'all soon. I'll be praying for y 'all. Amen.