Experiencing God in Everyday Life- Jealous for Him, anxious for His Return

Experiencing God in everyday life through suffering
Jealous for Him, anxious for His return

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 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. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

13 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, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 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.

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 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.

2 Co 4:7-18

Do you want this community, and your friends, and your loved ones to see and understand the power of the gospel?

And what if one of the chief ways God has given us to show the world the power of the gospel happens to be one of the things that is hardest for us to do? What if it is actually something that the enemy has worked so hard at making those of us in this country bad at doing?
I believe this is the case. One of the most central ways God has chosen to put on display the power of His gospel also happens to be one of the most difficult things for us to do. There is, in fact, a whole set of Biblical teaching that just does not quite fit into what we live each day. And I want us to change that. But it will be hard. We will really need to try and live this out as a community. The importance of community will become very clear today as we talk about these things. We will need one another in many ways. We will also face a crisis of belief. Here we are in the last week of the experiencing God series. We have talked about adjusting our lives to God, about being challenged to do that, and how that challenge brings about a crisis of belief. You may experience a crisis of belief this very morning. Are you ready?
You see, experiencing God does not just touch one part of our life, but the whole. Is that ok with us? Are we ready for all of life to be under God’s reign and rule, even if it means something that we are not comfortable with? We often are ok with experiencing God in some ways in some areas- but all the time, in all areas of our life? Isn’t that a bit extreme? Aren’t there neutral areas in life? Things that don’t really have to go with God, things that aren’t bad. Just neutral places where we can rest from glorifying Him, and also aren’t sinful? I sometimes hear Christians talk about these places in life, these things that are neutral. Shopping in neutral, this TV show is neutral, what I do with my leisure time is neutral. Brothers and sisters, what if that is not true, and nothing is neutral, but all needs to be a part of experiencing God? What if we are supposed to be a people who hate the idea of things being neutral. Shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t we, if we encounter something neutral, want to make it for him?! What if experiencing God is all the time, in all areas of life? Will that bring about a crisis of belief?
And what if one of the biggest things God is asking us to do is not even something we are familiar with? What if it is something that we are just bad at, and not used to? You will need one another’s help in this. You will experience a crisis of belief as you think about how to adjust your life to God. I know you will, and I will as well, because one of the chief ways that we can show the power of the Gospel to the world is something we are not trained at doing. We are not good at it.
Let me tell you what I am talking about. What is this way to show the power of the gospel?

Here is the sentence I want you to consider- if it is true, it has huge implication on how we minister to each other and to this community:

The suffering of His servants with endurance and joy is one of the greatest means by which God has chosen to put on display the power of the gospel to the world.

Shown in the text
Where do I see this?
Let’s examine the first few verses we read earlier.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 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.

What is the treasure he is talking about? The treasure is the gospel message. Paul has been talking about his faithful preaching of this message, even though it brought him great persecution and suffering. This message is the treasure- this message about the glories of Christ, this message that he says a few verses earlier shows the beauty of our God. It is a treasure.

Let’s take a second and understand that. Before we talk about suffering to show the power of the gospel, let’s talk about what a treasure it is. Let’s define it. Paul does define what this gospel message is that he has shared with the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 in a well known text-


Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
1 Co 15:1-11

Jesus Christ dies for our sins, is buried, and rises again. This is what Paul preached, and it is a treasure.
We have to remember how beautiful a treasure this is. We have to remember what it all means. That God has from the beginning of time done nothing but show us good. He has blessed us over and over, and our response to His blessings has consistently been rebellion, hatred, and curses. We have turned our backs on the good things he has given to us, even loved them more than we love Him, bringing great pain and misery to the world, and then gone and even blamed him for them. We have dishonored Him. And now we are a condemned people. Cut off from our Maker. His anger at our rebellion hangs over us, and we barely understand the weight of it. Think about it. God, the perfect judge of all things, in His wisdom and mercy and goodness has examined our offense and concluded that it is worthy of what? One hour of horrific torture and agony? No. One day? No. A week of it? A year? Ten years? We cant even imagine a day of it let alone ten years. Yet God has looked and said that even if we were to spend one million years in the agonies of hell, after the one million years, we would still have just as much debt to pay. After a billion years, the debt would still be the same. In other words, we do not possess any of the currency needed to pay him back. We can not clear the charges. Do you know what can clear the charge? Do you know what payment is needed to take away this debt?
Blood. And you might think that perhaps there is a chance- you have blood! And many work, in many religions, spilling their blood, working their hardest, to pay God back to earn a place with him. But this will not due, because your blood is not the right kind. It is sin-stained. And only perfect blood will pay this debt off. And you do not have a drop of it.
And so, the King of Kings, robed in majesty, he leaves heaven. Think about it. He takes His robes of majestic splendor, and sets them aside. And then he dresses in flesh. Common. Ordinary. Not majestic. And not only that, but He, with His veins cursing with perfect blood, does the unthinkable. He comes to you, dressed in filthy sin stained garments, and takes your filthy robes off of you, and puts them on His holiness. And He drags them to the Cross where he dies in your place. He suffers in a few hours enough to bear for you what would have been for you an eternal punishment. Does that give you a taste of what he bore? And not just for you, but for many.
Then, he can not be kept by death. Though He dies in your place, he rises again, dressed in perfect righteousness, because His perfect spotless blood was not tainted by our sin stained garments, but his perfect blood makes them new! He comes to us now, friends, and offers us His perfect robes of majesty! He will dress us in His righteousness, so that we can enter into His presence forever! This message,

19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Co 5:19


This is the treasure! It is a treasure in that it shows His beauty, in that it takes away our sin, but most of all, it is a treasure because Christ now becomes a bridge to God- we can now have God, be at peace with Him, live with Him forever. This is what we ache for, this is our longing.



That gospel message, that is the treasure. And we are the jars of clay- that is, weak vessels. Fragile. Not really noble, not really honorable. And Paul says that, in order to show the great power of the gospel God placed it in weak things.
How does that show it’s power?
Well, that alone doesn’t. but read on. In verses 8 and 9 Paul lists a series of events that certainly do not fit anything that we might experience in normal life. You see, he talks about affliction, and not being crushed by it, and of being bewildered, but not despairing. Persecuted, yet not forsaken, struck down, and not destroyed. This is not normal. Normally, affliction brings about crushing. When we are confused and bewildered we despair. When we are persecuted we are forsaken. And when we are struck down, we are destroyed- keep in mind this is a far of clay- if you struck down a jar of clay, what happens? It is destroyed. For it to not be destroyed demonstrates a power that is not natural, not normal. Something else is going on with this far of clay for it to be able to be cast down and not break into a million pieces. It is a weak jar, it is a nothing. How is it withstanding such trials? So you see, the power is displayed as we endure and are not destroyed. We endure suffering with joy, and this is not normal. This puts on display the power of the treasure that we have inside us.
Paul goes on and affirms that this is indeed what he means in the next verses. First, in verse 10 he tells us that the life of Jesus, that is, His resurrecting power, is on display in us as we do what? As we carry about the death of Jesus. What is that? It is affliction, persecution, being struck down, etc- all that he just mentioned. When we go through those things without having the natural reaction that would be expected- destruction and despair- we put on display the life of Christ. And then verse 11, he even more clearly says it. The life of Jesus is manifested in our bodies, for all to see, when? When can the world see the life of Jesus in us? When we are being given over to death for Jesus’ sake.
So we are to be jars of clay that are cast down and not destroyed, so that the world might look at us and wonder by what power this is happening.
The suffering of His servants with endurance and joy is one of the greatest means by which God has chosen to put on display the power of the gospel to the world. If we want to put on display the power of the gospel to the world we will have to suffer with endurance and joy. We will have to not break, not despair, not be crushed. All while suffering greatly.
Do you see why I say that this is not like what we are used to? This is not American. This is not typical for us- suffering? We do not do hard things. We are a people who are trained to eliminate as much suffering as we can from our lives- and do you see how the enemy has destroyed our ability to show the power of the gospel? Now we show the power of the gospel by the size of our church building, by the greatness of it’s sound system, by the greatness of the entertainment we have at our churches. But not through suffering, not through picking up our cross and following Him. That is old fashioned, out of style, not going to work anymore. It’s too hard for American’s to adjust their daily lives to that. Just think about what we are used to, and how the enemy has robbed us of this. We live in this Disneyland of fake peace, fake smiles, fake everything. All for our ease. Are we going to show the world the power of the gospel by how nice a car we drive and by how much we can be like them? We are good at that, but we are not good at suffering.
But what if this is God’s way- will that bring about for you this very morning a crises of belief? will you adjust your life? What would that look like? What kind of suffering would we face? How would we ever be able to handle it this way?

What does that suffering look like?
How will we suffer in this country? We are not being arrested for our gathering here this morning. What suffering would we face? It amazes me that so often Christians are at a loss as to how to suffer. Are we really that out of touch? Have we really lost touch with the fact that Christianity goes hand in hand with suffering?

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Pe 4:12

21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Ac 14:21-22

Through many tribulations. Much suffering.
Let me tell you of at least three ways you suffer here.

1- the suffering of being human
All of you will face suffering just because of the fact that you are human, living in a fallen world, still held fast in the arms of the curse.
Listen, it’s hard to think about, but every one of you will experience great pain in your lives. Slowly you will grow old, and your body will hurt more and more, and you will move toward death. You will be sick. You will lose loved ones. Every one of you in here who loves anyone, you must face this- you will see them die, or they will see you die. This is what we face, people. There are disasters that overtake us. Crimes. Accidents. The world is not a place that suffering is rare. Even here in picture perfect America, we all know that suffering is just under the surface, just a moment away for each of us all the time. When suffering comes to you, and know that it will, how will you respond? Will there be despair? Will there be crushing? Or will your hope and faith remain, so that when those who know you in that time see you they think “where is their hope that they can withstand such a tragedy?”

Greg Laurie, as many of you know, lost his son in an automobile accident last week. At the service for his son, Greg, always the evangelist, made sure to suffer with hope in front of the world. In talking about the death of his son he said of God, “He made this choice. And I say He does all things well and I give glory to God." That is a hard thing to say a few days after you lose your child. That is not the way the world suffers. But that is a jar of clay that is not crushed, that has not despaired. And it makes us look for what in the world is different.


I remember when I was a Sr in high school going to the funeral of a friend who had died suddenly. His mother and father were believers, I knew this well. And I went in to the viewing, and sat down after greeting the family. And I was stunned as I watched his mother, as shaken by grief as she was, standing in the front of the room comforting all his friends and loved ones who came in unable to bear the grief themselves. I thought to myself “where does this woman get her strength?”


There will be grief, and we will face suffering and loss. Will we in those times grieve like those who have no hope? Or will the world see something different in us as we face suffering?




2- Suffer by sharing the load
There is another way we can suffer. We can chose suffering. Why would we ever want to chose suffering? What do I mean by that?
We can find the suffering of others, and then bear it for them. Listen, do you want to really impact this community, those who you come into contact with, those in this body? Find out where people suffer. Find their pain. And then help them, bear it with them. Bear it for them.

A story that paints the picture of this for me so well is that of the missionary Esther Kim. She was a Korean missionary, she went to Japan to share the gospel, was arrested and imprisoned back in Korea, and there she had a wonderful time of ministering to her cell mates. One young girl, just 16, who was sentenced to die was put in her cell with all the other women. As night came she became to cry and call out, and the other prisoners became annoyed with her, and pushed her into the corner by the toilet, where all the new prisoners were forced to sleep. Her crying became worse and worse, and Esther Kim went over to her, and held her, and took her place by the toilet. She shared with the young girl the love of Jesus. For the next four days Esther ate nothing. But, seeing the frail condition of the girl, took every bowl of rice she was given and passed it on to the girl. Not understanding how she could this, the girl asked her why. Esther replied “I have given all I have to Jesus, even the food that is offered to me. It is His, not mine. And He wants to give it to you.” The girl was so moved that she begin to listen as Esther quoted Scripture to her, and before long she became a believer. One night Esther, suffering terribly from a cough, woke to find the girl praying in the middle of the night. She asked her why she was spending so much time awake at night praying, and the girl shyly answered “I have seen how badly you are suffering from your cough. I have been begging God that he would take it from you and give it to me so that I could bear it for you.”

This is what it means to bear another’s pain.
But I know, that’s Esther Kim in prison. You aren’t in prison, you cant do that. What bowl of rice will you give away? It is easy for her to suffer for another, the suffering is right there, so plain. How in the world can we do that?
Brothers and sisters I need to tell you something; the suffering that is all around you is just as great, and just as pressing as any suffering that Esther Kim saw. You just are numb to it. Is there not enough pain in this fallen world for you to find somewhere you could share it? Are you really that blind to the agony all around you? Do you believe the painted smiles on those you come into contact with? Aren’t we aware that there is deep heartache? Listen, one thing I have learned in ministry- in high school students are very willing to talk about heartache and pain, and there’s plenty of pain to come alongside of, and weep over students, and cry out to God for them, and share with them in it. And adults are the same, they just don’t talk about it. There is pain all around you- are you getting involved in the lives of those around you and suffering with them? Bearing their pain?


You see, we bear the pain of those around us not by giving our bowl of rice. But by going to them, and sacrificially spending time to get to see what hurts them, why they suffer. Church, do you want to reach the lost, and show them Christ? Then find out where their pain is, and help carry it.
Where is the pain in this community? Perhaps there are some who need a bowl of rice, but more than that, in our country we will find different pain besides hunger. We will find broken lives and broken marriages and lonely people. Can we find their pain and help carry it? What if we decided to help with that pain? What if we saw the need around us, and we advertised a series of classes free to the community- classes on how to parent, how to restore a marriage, how to handle anger, how to handle money? What if all of you, with the skill and trades that are represented in this room, gave of your time in this way, to teach others in your area of expertise? Or what if we got a group of us to become NANC certified (the counseling certification related to the counseling seminars some have gone to) and offered free counseling to the community? The church that the staff and elders fly out to for this training each year does this, and they have an endless line of people waiting for help.
There are plenty of ways. What about the employee that never does their job, and you cover for them over and over? What about someone who owes you something, and you just forget about it? What about someone who is financially struggling and you struggle for them, by giving of your finances, sacrificing something you want, so that they will not be in want? Maybe we don’t need to just use the word “suffer”- how about the idea of doing something costly and difficult for those around you? Something sacrificial? Doing the dishes when its not your turn. Mowing your neighbors lawn. But let’s try and find the greatest pains of our neighbors and help them bear them. That will take relationships and love and really listening and helping. Let’s do that with one another. Are you willing to bear another’s pain? Parents, do you seek to bear your child’s pain, to find out what brings them suffering, and bear it with them? Do you bear their pain, or cause it? Spouses, do you bear the pain of your spouse, or cause it?
When was the last time you wept over a lost person? When was the last time your heart ached because of someone’s lost condition?

This idea of bearing another’s pain should not surprise us or be strange to us. This is what Christ did for us, isn’t it? This was the Cross- bearing our pain, taking our suffering upon Him. And we are to follow in His steps.


3- Persecution
And that brings me to one more way that we will find suffering.
You see, all that I have talked about so far is not uniquely Christian. Unbelievers experience pain, unbelievers even suffer for one another. They suffer for the civil rights of another, they suffer for better working conditions for others, they burst into plane cabins and push the controls toward the earth so that the plane doesn’t crash into the capitol, saving many lives as the cost of their own- the greatest form of love, so says Jesus, suffering death for another. All these things even unbelievers do. You see, there is nothing uniquely Christian about showing mercy or suffering for an enemy or enduring pain. That is no different than what many have done. This is not uniquely Christian. And not only is it not uniquely Christian, but ultimately it solves nothing- if we do not talk about the greatest source of the lack of peace in their lives- the broken relationship they have with their Creator. Do you really want to be a part of removing pain from the lives of those around you? They must be reconciled to God.

What we do is different, because what we do is always tied to a message. It is tied to the gospel.
That doesn’t mean that every time we sacrifice something we hand out a tract. But it does mean that we are the kind of people who do the things we do in order to bring the greatest good to others- peace with God. You see, when you are the vessel that does not break, what happens is you cause others to wonder- and they ask. Opportunity to speak about the power that we are using arises. The treasure we have been given, we get to show it. We get to show the treasure! And inevitably, most of the time, we will at that point face persecution. People are usually ok with us suffering for them, but there is something about the name of Jesus, when we bring Him into it, that makes them repel. This is normal. They are criminals in God’s universe, and hate what is right, and run from the light.

Someone this week was telling me about how they experienced this. That in many times at their work, in doing good to others, they were appreciated. But the second that they revealed why they did what they did, they experienced rejection.
This should not surprise us, this experiencing rejection, and even persecution, at the hands of those we are suffering for. Isn't this what our savior Himself experienced? Suffering at the hands of those he was suffering for. And that will be our lot as well. This is especially painful. To open our hearts, our homes, or lives to someone, to bear their suffering with them, and then ultimately to be mistreated by them because they hate the God we love. Are you ready for that kind of suffering? Are you willing to open yourself up to that kind of hurt?

We do not lose heart
How in the world would we ever be able to do this? Wouldn’t we be miserable?
How can we be happy in suffering? How can we absorb another’s suffering? How can we face ridicule?
Paul tells us his means of doing this. Now, more than anything else I have said, this is most important. You see, what I fear is that we would become a people who are excited about suffering for others, and doing good to our neighbors, and living in community, but not for any reasons that make what we do Christian, and not tied to any message that makes what we do Christ centered. And I know that the fear is also out there that we would think our job is to just tell people about Jesus but never suffer. But I think that if we fail anywhere, it will be in telling them about Jesus. While it might be easy to lay some tracts around, it’s hard to speak the name of Jesus to someone, and share the gospel- often much harder than just being nice to them.
What is good about Paul’s means of being able to bear suffering is that if they are our means, they not only give us the power to bear suffering, they give us all that we need to do it in a Christ centered way. They make us become people who are not going to be able to show mercy without wanting to speak about Christ at some point.
What are these motives that Paul has? He has two. Let’s look at verses 16-18.


16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 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.


Jealous for His glory
There is where we want to be- not losing heart. How, Paul? The first reason is hinted at with what he starts the sentence with. He starts the sentence with the word “so”. It is, more literally- “for this reason”- it is a word that is looking back on what was just said. Part of the reason that he does not lose heart is before this verse in what was just said. And what was just said? Verse 15-

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.

Paul is excited about the prospect of grace extending to more and more people, so that as they understand and experience the grace of God in conversion, they glorify God. This is what he is passionate about, this excites him, this is why he does not lose heart- that ultimately God would receive more glory. We could say that Paul, in a sense, is jealous for God, eager to see him get more glory.
I don’t know if I can stress enough the importance of this. Not just for suffering, but for all of the Christian life. This protects us greatly from so many wrongs- to have a strong jealousy for God’s glory, for Jesus’ sake and His Name.
What does this mean, a “jealousy” for God? It means a longing, a deep, heart wrenching yearning to see Christ get what he deserves- the praise of every mouth, the full affection of every heart, the full submission of every will.
Oh, people of God, do you groan for this? Do you weep that this is not the case? This must be our deepest cry, our most passionate plea. Like the Moravians, the German mission minded believers, who would sail off to distant lands, or sell themselves into slavery to witness to those in bonds, and cry out as they left family and home, “May the Lamb receive the reward of His sufferings!” This is the heart cry of all who are His children. Friends, is this your deepest heart cry?
Listen, brothers and sisters, do you know what the most important, and huge, act of faith we can perform is? The one that is most important to our spiritual well being as a body? The greatest act of faith we can perform is not raising the dead, not canvassing this neighborhood for Christ, not deciding that we will in faith purchase the Pitman Hotel and open an outreach center- all things I would love to do!- but do you know what the greatest thing would be, the most important act of faith? For each one of us to look at ourselves in the mirror this day, and really see the truth of how desperately wicked we are, how fallen, how weak, how undeserving we are, and still believe that our Jesus loves us just the same, just as much as His word says He does, and will never love us less, or leave us, or forget us. To embrace who we are as God’s beloved children, rescued at the Cross. To really believe it. To understand first that this treasure we carry is a treasure that applies to us. And then, and only then, we will see well up in us a passion for His glory, for this our Jesus, our savior, our lover, our King! Then we will not be comfortable with anything neutral in our lives. We will not be willing to see the lost live without a knowledge of His beauty. We will want His beauty to be seen and loved and appreciated by all who breathe. It is only when you realize that you carry a treasure that you will be jealous enough for that treasure to suffer with joy for it.


Being heavenly minded
So there must be a jealousy for Christ, that he would get all the glory and praise He deserves. That will give us the foundation we need to suffer, and to do it in a way that honors Him. And there is another way that Paul was able to suffer without losing heart. Not only was he so very jealous for Christ and His glory, but he also kept his eyes firmly looking forward to what he would one day have with Christ.

17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 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.

I have heard it said from time to time that some people are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good- have you heard that? Paul seems to think that the only way to be of any earthly good is to be heavenly minded. The way that he did not lose heart in the midst of suffering was because he looked forward to the day when His Jesus would return.
Believers, the way to get through earth, the way to get through the suffering of life here is to understand verses 17 and 18. This is Paul’s secret for how to endure the suffering. He sees the suffering three ways in relation to what is to come –
1- As that which prepares for us the good things to come.
The affliction he says is preparing glory for him. What does that mean? It means he is storing up treasure elsewhere through his suffering. We suffer now, and our reward is still future. Like the great heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, we look forward to a home, a place of rest, and we do not find it on this earth. We await the reward with the coming King. He will bring us our reward! He will bring us His very presence, His thanks, His “well done, good and faithful servant.”
2- As much shorter in duration than that which is to come.
He calls what we suffer now as momentary- very light, very quick, very short. You see, suffering is not hard when we see the end in sight. Running a race is easier when you are close to the finish line. The last day of school is so much more light and enjoyable than the first of the year. I remember the story of a prisoner who many years ago was put in jail and made to work at hard labor in a stone quarry. He was chained to another prisoner, and set about his task. His partner sang as he worked, all day, happy songs, big smiles on his face. Finally the new prisoner asked “why do you sing so much? How can you be happy in the midst of this?” And he answered “because today is the last day of my sentence. Tomorrow I will be home with my family.”
Brothers and sisters, tomorrow we will be home with our family. The King returns, and it could be at any moment. He is due back, soon! This affliction we suffer is momentary, especially in comparison to how long the reward is- eternal. All that we see now, the seen realm, it is transient, the unseen, it is eternal. Forever. In a sense it is more real. This is not all there is.
3- As not even worth mentioning compared with the greatness of that which is to come.
Imagine I hire you to work hard outside in a field digging holes all day for 30 cents an hour. For 12 hours. What do you think your attitude would be? Now imagine I hire you for the same job, and I pay you a million dollars an hour. What would be different about the way you dug those holes? You see, when we can look forward to a joy, a great joy, we can suffer now patiently. There is hope.
Paul makes sure he gets this across. He says that the weight of glory, the reward that we will receive, is beyond anything he can describe. He can not compare it to anything. He says similar things throughout the NT.


18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Ro 8:18

(See also 1 peter 1, the end of Hebrews 10).
This idea of a future good that is so much greater than anything we can imagine as an incentive to endure suffering is a key part of living the Christian life. If we are going to successfully adjust our lives to God’s plan for us, and trust Him as He leads us toward suffering, our eyes will have to be on the future, on His return, and our living and reigning with Him forever, if we are to suffer with joy and endurance. We must know that our Redeemer lives, and that we will stand with Him on that day! And that must be the joy in our hearts that pulls us forward through the suffering now.

So the question is, do you see that reward as something worth suffering for? Are you jealous enough for His glory to suffer? And do you see the reward of seeing His face, standing with Him, being fully accepted by Him, and known and loved and perfectly one with Him, is that reward enough? Do you long and ache for it? For that union, that perfect and final union? Do you today, believer, ache with an ache that is beyond words, for the day you will stand as His Bride with Him, beginning an eternity with Him, as His beloved? This is what the treasure of the gospel gets us, the real Treasure, Jesus Christ!


This is the mystery of the Kingdom of God! It moves forward in the world not as we would expect. It progresses through the suffering of it’s citizens, as they show themselves to be a peculiar people to the world. The power that they have, the treasure that they have, it’s worth is shown as they suffer. For us to show the world the power of the gospel, we will have to be jars of clay that do not break, but absorb suffering with joy. The suffering of His servants with endurance and joy is one of the greatest means by which God has chosen to put on display the power of the gospel to the world. Do you want to display the power of this gospel? Out of a deep jealousy for His glory, do you want to see that power on display? Will you suffer for that display, setting your eyes on the day of His return?

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Ro 13:11-12

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Heb 10:24-25