0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible Radio
0:09 featuring best-selling author and
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher Warren
0:12 Warren
0:16 weby Outlook determines outcome the kind
0:19 of Outlook you have on life is going to
0:22 determine how life is going to work out for
0:23 for
0:26 you if we walk by faith then we can
0:29 overcome obstacles we can glorify God we
0:31 can accomplish his will now if we walk by
0:32 by
0:35 sight before long we're going to get
0:37 discouraged and we're going to faint and
0:40 this is why Paul instructs Us in 2
0:44 Corinthians 4: 16 for which cause we
0:47 faint not that word faint means to lose
0:51 heart we do not lose heart now if
0:53 anybody had reason to be discouraged it
0:56 was Paul and yet Paul was not
0:58 discouraged Paul said I am not going to
1:02 faint I'm not going to lose heart I'm
1:05 going to read with you and study with
1:08 you today 2 Corinthians 4:16 through
1:12 55 this paragraph deals with three of
1:14 the major causes of
1:18 discouragement in the lives of of people
1:21 and Paul outlines and discusses these
1:23 three causes of discouragement he tells
1:26 us how to overcome them verse 16 of 2
1:28 Corinthians 4 here's the first cause of
1:30 discouragement ourselves
1:33 eles ourselves have you ever caused
1:36 yourself to be discouraged for which
1:38 cause we faint not but though our
1:42 outward man perish or it's present now
1:44 is perishing though the outward man is
1:48 perishing yet the inward man is being
1:52 renewed day by day now if you look at
1:54 the outward man you'll get discouraged I
1:56 don't care how old you are or how young
2:00 you are the outward man is per
2:03 ising they're just something about life
2:06 that makes us get older God has ordained
2:07 that parents are older than their
2:09 children and grandparents are older than
2:12 their grandchildren and we're all going
2:14 to get older and as we get older the
2:17 outward man perishes this is just a part
2:19 of everyday life now this doesn't mean
2:22 we shouldn't take care of ourselves our
2:24 body is God's Temple and we ought to
2:27 take good care of our bodies but even
2:29 apart from all of the exercise and the
2:32 good food and the vitamins and all that
2:36 we do to maintain strong healthy bodies
2:38 whether we like it or not the outward
2:39 man is
2:42 perishing it's a part of life that the
2:45 outward man perishes but more than that
2:48 Paul had been through some difficult
2:51 circumstances later on in 2 Corinthians
2:53 he tells us about some of these he had
2:55 spent a night and the day in the Deep he
2:58 had been beaten he had been in prison he
3:00 had gone without food he had had many
3:03 sleepless nights he was persecuted and
3:06 troubled and and exposed to death is it
3:09 any wonder the outward man was perishing
3:12 Paul put into one lifetime three
3:14 lifetimes of
3:16 service and so we look at ourselves and
3:18 we see the outward man perishing and we
3:21 can get discouraged we can't do the
3:23 things we used to be able to do we can't
3:26 run as fast as we used to be able to run
3:28 but you know the other side of the coin
3:30 is the inward man is being renewed day
3:34 by day now that's the focus the focus is
3:36 on the inward man we must take care of
3:38 the outward man you can't divide these
3:40 two you can't separate them but the
3:44 inward man experiences renewal and even
3:47 though the outward man may be subject to
3:50 Decay and deterioration and weakness no
3:53 matter what we do the inward man can go
3:56 from glory to glory through the ministry
3:57 of the spirit of God we read that in
4:01 chapter 3:1 18 but we all with unveiled
4:05 face beholding as in a mirror the glory
4:08 of the Lord are being transfigured
4:11 transformed into the same image from
4:14 glory to glory even as by the spirit of
4:17 the Lord and so when you spend time in
4:18 the word of God when you pray when you
4:21 worship when you meditate the spirit of
4:23 God takes the word of God and makes you
4:25 like the Son of God and that's that inward
4:27 inward
4:29 renewal and those three words at the end
4:33 of 2 Corinthians 4:16 are so important
4:36 day by day now verses 17 and 18 of 2
4:39 Corinthians 4 Paul says there's a second
4:41 cause of discouragement and that's our
4:44 circumstances for our light Affliction
4:47 which is but for a moment worketh for us
4:51 a far more exceeding and eternal weight
4:54 of Glory while we look that's our part
4:55 now God will do his part if we'll do our
4:59 part while we look not at the things
5:00 which are seeing
5:02 but at the things which are not seen the
5:03 invisible the
5:05 imperishable for the things which are
5:06 seen are temporal but the things which
5:08 are not seen are Eternal when you walk
5:11 by faith then you can overcome
5:14 circumstances now he gives us a a list
5:16 of contrasts here we have affliction
5:18 contrasted with
5:22 Glory light Affliction contrasted with a
5:23 weight of
5:27 Glory momentary light
5:30 Affliction contrasted with ET Eternal
5:33 weight of Glory light Affliction which
5:37 is working against us in the outward man
5:41 working for us in the inward man because
5:43 we are not looking at the visible we're
5:45 looking at the invisible now the world
5:46 doesn't understand this because they
5:47 walk by
5:50 sight the world says well seeing is
5:53 believing that's foolish believing is
5:56 seeing because we believe the word of
5:58 God we are able to see what other people
6:01 cannot see Joseph discovered that in
6:05 Egypt 13 years he had to wait before he
6:07 was delivered but all of that trouble
6:10 was working for him Calvary is the
6:12 greatest illustration of this if
6:13 anything looked like defeat it was
6:16 Calvary and yet look what happened three
6:19 days later Glory our lord Jesus arose
6:22 from the dead and uh accomplished the
6:25 great miracle of redemption so don't
6:28 look at yourself the outward man take
6:29 care of the inward man and when you look
6:32 at your circumstances don't look at God
6:33 through your
6:36 circumstances look at your circumstances
6:39 through God walk by faith and not by
6:42 sight now chapter 5 the first five
6:45 verses he gives us a third cause of
6:49 discouragement death he deals very very
6:51 courageously with death you know death
6:54 is going to come The Last Enemy is death
6:56 whatever problems you may face if you
6:57 can't solve the problem of death you
7:00 won't solve anything death is the big
7:02 question every philosophers has had to
7:05 wrestle with the matter of death for we
7:07 know that if our Earthly House of this
7:10 Tabernacle were taken down Paul Compares
7:12 your body to a tent Paul was a Tent
7:14 Maker you'll remember we have a building
7:16 of God a house not made with hands
7:18 Eternal in the heavens this is not our
7:21 Heavenly Mansion of John 14 this is the glorified
7:22 glorified
7:24 body Paul is saying right now I'm living
7:28 in a tent and the real me is not this
7:30 tent you can take down the tent and I'll
7:31 still survive because that's the inner
7:34 man and I'm going to have a glorified
7:38 body an eternal home not a tent but a
7:41 house a permanent dwelling in the
7:43 heavens the one we have now is rather
7:45 temporary it's a tent and it's kind of
7:49 falling apart isn't it for in this we
7:51 groan well what are we groaning about
7:54 earnestly Desiring to be clothed upon
7:57 with our house which is from Heaven what
7:59 he's saying is this I am waiting for
8:02 Jesus to come because then my tent won't
8:05 be taken down that's death rather I will
8:08 receive a new body we shall all be
8:11 changed and this old body of mine shall
8:14 be transformed I receive a new body I
8:15 shall be clothed
8:19 upon with my house from Heaven if so be
8:22 that being clothed we shall not be found
8:25 naked for we that are in this Tabernacle
8:27 this tent this this Earthly house now
8:30 that we live in do gran being
8:33 burdened now what's he burdened about
8:36 not that we would be unclothed not that
8:39 I would die you see he he Compares dying
8:41 to taking down a tent and he Compares
8:45 dying to taking off clothing he says
8:47 when I if I should die my spirit will
8:49 leave this body and my spirit will go to
8:50 be with the
8:53 Lord but uh I'm not looking for death
8:55 I'm looking for the Lord Jesus to come
8:57 back we're burdened not that we would be
8:59 unclothed a Christian because because
9:00 they know they're going to heaven don't
9:03 go around seeking death they aren't
9:04 morbid about it he said we don't want to be
9:05 be
9:09 unclothed but clothed upon that
9:11 mortality that's our present body given
9:16 to death might be swallowed up of life
9:19 it's a beautiful picture Paul says when
9:23 Jesus Christ returns my my present
9:26 situation will change dramatically we
9:30 shall see him we shall be like him
9:33 and my mortality will be swallowed up
9:36 with life and this old tent will be
9:40 replaced with a wonderful new body Paul
9:43 is saying here that um God's people have
9:46 a wonderful future ahead of them because
9:48 um they know where they're going they're
9:49 going to
9:52 heaven how do you know this now he that
9:55 hath wrought us for the very same thing
9:58 is God God's purpose is to give us a new
10:01 body salvation doesn't just involve
10:05 saving your soul or redeeming your soul
10:08 or sanctifying your soul your salvation
10:11 also includes the whole person Body Soul
10:13 and Spirit and one of these days you're
10:15 going to have a wonderful new body now
10:17 if we should die take down the tent take
10:20 off this Garment of Flesh and go on to
10:23 be with him in heaven one day we shall
10:28 share with him marvelous eternal glory
10:30 that should encourage encourage us today
10:32 how do you know it's true well God has
10:34 given unto us the earnest of the spirit
10:36 the deposit the guarantee that word
10:39 earnest is a Greek word for engagement
10:42 ring did you know that the holy spirit
10:46 is God's engagement ring God's deposit
10:48 God's down payment saying Heaven is on
10:51 the way you're going to have a new body
10:53 the Holy Spirit lives in your body and
10:56 he experiences with you the groanings of
10:58 your body and he's promising you that
11:01 one day you are going to have a new body
11:03 well don't quit don't quit because of
11:06 yourself or your circumstances or death
11:10 Jesus Christ has overcome live by faith
11:13 look at the invisible and lay hold of
11:15 the things that are Eternal and God will
11:22 heart let's talk about living
11:25 confidently living optimistically living
11:28 joyfully not because of our feelings or
11:30 our circumstance es but really in spite
11:35 of them 2 Corinthians 5:
11:37 6-10 Paul talks about confident
11:41 Christian Living therefore we are always
11:44 confident knowing that while we are at
11:46 home in the body we are absent from the
11:50 Lord for we walk by faith not by sight
11:52 we are confident I say and willing
11:55 rather to be absent from the body and to
11:59 be present with the Lord wherefore we
12:03 labor that whether present or absent we
12:07 may be accepted of him for we must all
12:10 appear before the Judgment seat of
12:13 Christ that everyone may receive the
12:16 things done in his body according to
12:20 that he hath done whether it be good or
12:24 bad twice he says here we are confident
12:27 verse six he says we are always
12:30 confident our English word confident
12:33 means with faith the Greek word means to
12:36 be bold to be courageous facing life
12:39 courageously one of the first cousins of
12:42 this word in the Greek language is a
12:44 word that Jesus used often be of good
12:47 cheer be of good cheer he said to the
12:49 paralytic be of good cheer your sins are
12:52 forgiven you he said to the woman who
12:54 had been sick for those 12 Years be of
12:57 good cheer and of course he healed her
12:58 when the disciples were frightened in
13:01 the storm our lord said be of good cheer
13:04 it is I don't be afraid to the blind man
13:07 at Jericho he said now be of good cheer
13:09 and he healed them when the disciples
13:11 were so discouraged there in the upper
13:14 room Jesus said be of good cheer I have
13:18 overcome the world in Acts chapter 23
13:20 when Paul was in prison the Lord Jesus
13:22 came to him and said be of good cheer
13:25 Paul don't give up you have witnessed
13:26 for me at Jerusalem and you're going to
13:28 Bear witness for me at Rome now that's
13:30 the kind of of a life God wants us to
13:32 live he doesn't want us to be walking
13:34 around discouraged
13:38 defeated fearful timid afraid to see the
13:41 day Dawn he wants us to face life with
13:45 cheerful bold courageous
13:47 confidence and Paul gives to us three
13:50 reasons why we can do this reason number
13:54 one Heaven is our
13:56 destination you know my friend when you
13:58 know where you're going and you know
14:01 you're going to get there whatever
14:04 happens in between you can accept it and
14:06 you can thank God for it and the longer
14:08 we live on this Earth we have more and
14:10 more friends and loved ones up there in
14:13 heaven don't we Heaven is our
14:15 destination and Paul says that we are
14:18 walking by faith now how do we know that
14:21 we're going to go to heaven in verse 5
14:23 Paul has told us we have the earnest of
14:25 the spirit the deposit of the spirit the
14:27 guarantee the down payment the
14:30 engagement ring
14:31 and we know we're going to heaven and so
14:33 we can face life with cheerful
14:37 confidence because heaven is our
14:40 destination whether we Face life or
14:43 death trial tribulation difficulty
14:46 pressure economic difficulties physical
14:48 problems one of these days we're going
14:50 to be in heaven and the thing that
14:52 worries you and perplexes you and
14:55 burdens you today a hundred years from
14:58 now you'll never think about it again
15:00 here's reason number number one Heaven
15:03 is our destination now verse 9 of 2
15:06 Corinthians 5 here's the second reason
15:08 why we can face life cheerfully
15:11 confident with the kind of optimism that
15:15 enables us to overcome pleasing Jesus
15:19 Christ is our motivation oh what life
15:23 does to you depends upon what life finds
15:26 in you why are you living why are you
15:27 doing what you're doing well let's read
15:31 Paul verse ver 9 wherefore we labor
15:33 wherefore we are ambitious wherefore we
15:36 make it our
15:39 aim wherefore we labor that whether
15:42 present or absent whether up in heaven
15:45 or on Earth we may be accepted of him
15:47 now that word accepted means well
15:50 pleasing it's a good word well pleasing
15:52 there are only three ways you can live
15:54 you can live to please yourself that's
15:56 the lowest way to live you get bored you
15:57 get selfish you get all wrapped up in
16:00 yourself it's a boring kind of a life
16:02 you can live to please others that could
16:04 be slavery now there is a kind of
16:06 pleasing others that is spiritual Paul
16:09 talks about it in Romans 15 let every
16:12 one of us please his neighbor for his
16:14 good to edification there is there is
16:17 the an attitude of service that is good
16:19 but if you live just to please others
16:21 you'll end up in slavery and
16:23 bondage Paul said we make it our
16:26 ambition to please Christ to be well
16:28 pleasing to him this is a good little
16:30 word well well pleasing it's used a
16:32 number of times in the New Testament how
16:35 are we well pleasing to Christ well
16:38 Romans 121 and2 tells us that when we
16:41 surrender to him give him our bodies
16:43 it's well pleasing that you may prove
16:45 what is that good and acceptable that
16:47 word acceptable is this word well
16:49 pleasing and perfect will of God so
16:52 surrender is well pleasing to him in
16:55 Ephesians CH 5 and: 10 Paul warns the
16:59 Ephesian Christians about separation
17:00 he says you had better get out of the
17:03 things of sin proving what is acceptable
17:06 unto the Lord so separation pleases the
17:08 Lord that word acceptable means well
17:12 pleasing in Philippians 4:18 Paul gives
17:14 thanks for the money that the Philippian
17:16 church had sent him and he said that
17:19 their sacrifice was well pleasing
17:22 acceptable to God and so surrender is
17:26 well pleasing to God Romans 121 and2 and
17:28 separation is well pleasing to God
17:31 Ephesians 5 510 sacrifice is well
17:34 pleasing to God submission to one
17:36 another is well pleasing to God Paul
17:38 writes to the children in Colossians
17:41 chapter 3 and tells the children obey
17:43 your parents in all things this is well
17:46 pleasing unto the Lord Colossians 3:20
17:48 and so submission to Authority is well
17:50 pleasing to God and then there's that
17:53 great benediction over in Hebrews in
17:56 Hebrews chapter 13 where he tells us
18:00 that the God of Peace verse 20 it
18:01 brought again from the dead our lord
18:03 Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep
18:05 make you perfect in every good work to
18:08 do his will working in you that which is
18:11 well pleasing in his sight through Jesus
18:14 Christ so service sanctity and service
18:17 are well pleasing to God now if you live
18:19 to please the Lord Jesus Christ I
18:21 guarantee you will be courageous and
18:24 confident and optimistic if you live to
18:25 please yourself you'll be miserable you
18:27 live to please others you'll be in
18:30 bondage but if you live to please Jesus
18:32 then you can serve others and he'll care
18:38 for you and life will be a marvelously exciting
18:39 exciting
18:43 thing we can face life with cheerful
18:45 confidence because heaven is our
18:48 destination and pleasing Christ is our
18:51 motivation now verse 10 of 2 Corinthians
18:54 5 Christ's reward is our
18:56 anticipation now the Judgment seat of
18:58 Christ is not the great white Throne
19:00 judgment the white Throne Sinners are
19:03 going to be judged and cast into hell
19:07 the Judgment seat of Christ is that um
19:09 experience when Believers will face the
19:12 Lord Jesus give an account of their
19:14 Ministry we're not going to face our
19:16 sins they are taken care of they're
19:19 removed from you as far as the East is
19:21 from the West they're buried in the
19:23 depths of the sea they're blotted out
19:25 they're carried away they're forgotten
19:28 but you know your Works your Works my
19:31 works are going to be judged by the Lord
19:32 the Judgment seat of Christ is going to
19:35 be a place of revelation we must all
19:37 appear that word means be revealed you
19:39 see we don't see each other today we
19:41 don't really know each other we don't
19:42 know the thoughts and the intents of the
19:44 heart we don't know the motivations of
19:47 the heart but character and motives are
19:49 going to be revealed at the Judgment
19:51 seat of Christ so it's a place of
19:53 Revelation it's a place of Reckoning
19:57 where God is going to look at our works
19:59 our service to see whether or not we've been
19:59 been
20:02 faithful Paul says that we should be
20:05 faithful 1 Corinthians 4:2 moreover it
20:07 is required in stewards that a man be found
20:08 found
20:10 faithful and so it's a place of
20:14 Reckoning where God is going to decide
20:15 how faithful we have been it's a place of
20:16 of
20:19 recognition we're going to be recognized
20:21 for the work we have done to the glory
20:23 of God many of God's servants have never
20:25 been recognized adequately this is why
20:28 Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:5
20:30 therefore judge nothing before the time
20:32 don't don't evaluate a person's life or
20:34 Ministry too
20:37 soon why until the Lord come who both
20:40 will bring to light the hidden things of
20:42 darkness and will make manifest the
20:44 counsels of the hearts and then shall
20:46 every man have Praise of God now that
20:49 encourages me he says every man is going
20:51 to have some praise from God no matter
20:53 how much we have stumbl no matter how
20:55 much we have failed there's going to be
20:58 recognition for everyone every believer
21:01 will have some kind of recognition from
21:04 Jesus it's a place of revelation we must
21:07 all be revealed there it's a place of
21:10 Reckoning the Deeds Done in the body a
21:13 place of recognition a place of reward
21:15 everyone may be receive the things done
21:17 in his body whether they be good or
21:20 worthless he's not dealing here with sin
21:22 he's dealing with service whether or not
21:25 we have served the Lord and done it in
21:28 his power for his glory so it's going to
21:30 be a place where reward and I believe
21:31 everyone will get some kind of reward
21:33 this is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians
21:38 chapter 4 that uh everyone shall receive
21:41 some Praise of God then shall every man
21:43 have Praise of God 1 Corinthians
21:47 4:5 well the Judgment seat of Christ is
21:50 a great anticipation if you're walking
21:53 to please the Lord and to live for him I
21:55 know we're going to face him we're going
21:57 to have to have our works examined but
22:01 our God is is a gracious loving God and
22:04 uh he is going to be just and merciful and
22:05 and
22:07 righteous so my friend you and I can
22:09 face life cheerfully confident because
22:11 heaven is our
22:14 destination and pleasing Christ is our
22:17 motivation and Christ's reward is our
22:19 anticipation so be of good cheer you're
22:22 going to heaven be of good cheer you're
22:24 living to please the Lord Jesus be of
22:28 good cheer one day he will give you your reward
22:33 be sure to come back again for more
22:36 wisdom from God's word back to the Bible
22:38 leading you forward in your relationship
22:41 with Jesus Christ please join us again
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