1. An important key to understanding the Christian life is this: things look much differently from God’s perspective than they do from man’s perspective.
2. For example, from man’s perspective, Paul’s life was a failure. He was always in trouble, persecuted, and often in jail (II Cor.4:8,9; cf. 6:4-10; 11:23-27; 12:7-10). When you think about it, Paul suffered greatly (cf. Acts 9:10-16).
3. Yet from God’s perspective, his life was glorious (II Cor.4:17,18; cf. Rom.8:18).
4. I admit to you that it is difficult for me to preach on this subject because I have not suffered like Paul suffered and probably none of you has either.
5. I remember a Baptist preacher from Romania named Dimitri who suffered greatly under the Communist dictator, Ceausescu. And later on, our children used to take piano lessons from a Chinese lady whose father was a Baptist pastor in China and was badly persecuted.
6. What do we know about this kind of suffering other than what we hear from others? Or read in the Bible?
7. But when we walk by faith, and stay in the Word, God gives us the right perspective on suffering (cf. II Cor.4:17).

1. WE ARE TROUBLED ON EVERY SIDE, YET NOT DISTRESSED
2. WE ARE SURE OF OUR ULTIMATE VICTORY
3. WE ARE BEING RENEWED INWARDLY DAY BY DAY

1. Sometimes things look pretty bad, but there is always a way out (4:8,9).
2. Someone wisely said, "If God sends the storm, He will also steer the vessel." The problem is we want to steer. What did we learn last summer? God dependence for Spirit enabling. We need to let go and let God steer.
3. Paul was troubled on every side, perplexed, and persecuted. But he could still preach the Gospel. And remember that when Paul was in prison, he wrote four epistles (cf. Phil. 1:12,13).
4. And after the Bible, the most popular book of all time is Pilgrim’s Progress, which John Bunyan wrote while in jail.
5. Paul compares his own sufferings with that of our Lord (II Cor. 4:10,11). Paul identified with Christ’s death and resurrection (cf. Gal.2:20).
6. That is why Paul could say, "So then death (Paul’s physical sufferings) worketh in us, but (eternal) life in you" (4:12). Paul suffered greatly, but through his efforts many souls were saved.
7. Remember back in I Cor.15:31, he said: "I die daily."
8. "Spirit of faith" (4:13) means the attitude or outlook of faith. It was A.B. Simpson who said, "You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings."
9. Paul was seldom in comfortable surroundings. And Paul had faith in God’s Word – "as it is written…" (II Cor.4:13; cf. Ps.116:10).
10. This brings us to my next point.

2. WE ARE SURE OF OUR ULTIMATE VICTORY (4:14).

1. If God raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, then what is there to fear? The triumphant message of the early church was, "Christ is risen from the dead."
2. Read through the book of Acts, and you will see how the apostles continually emphasized the resurrection of Christ.
3. Because since Christ conquered death, the sting of death has been removed for the Christian (cf. I Cor.15:54,55).
4. God’s grace is "abundant grace" (4:15). This abundant grace then leads to glory (4:15). Interestingly, you can trace this all throughout the Bible: suffering, grace, and glory (cf. I Peter 5:10).
5. "For which cause we faint not" (II Cor.4:16, cf. 4:1). Paul did not lose heart even though he was always in a battle.
6. Which brings us to my third and final point.

3. WE ARE BEING RENEWED INWARDLY DAY BY DAY

1. Roman Catholics and charismatics speak of "renewal," therefore Baptists shy away from the word. We prefer the word "revival."
2. However, it is a good Scriptural word (4:16-18).
3. However, it means something quite different from the way many religious people use it today. It has nothing to do with speaking in tongues.
4. Now Paul was not suggesting that our "outward man" is unimportant (4:16). We should take care of ourselves. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
5. What Paul means is that we have no control over the natural aging process, the natural deterioration of our human bodies. These bodies will "perish," but "the inward man is renewed day by day" (4:16).
6. God took care of Paul and He takes care of us. The Bible says, "And as thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut.33:25).
7. Paul could see things from God’s perspective. His suffering was but a "light affliction, which is but for a moment" (4:17; Ps.90:4,9).
8. Our focus should be on the things above (cf. Col.3:1-4). The things of this world are just "temporal" (II Cor.4:18).
9. Only those things which are eternal really matter – God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the inward man, heaven, hell, salvation, the Word of God, etc. (4:18).
10. The things which are temporal are not as important. Temporal things (e.g., this building, money, vehicles, etc.) are only important when we use them to promote eternal things. Otherwise, they are pretty much useless.
11. There’s an old saying, "You can’t take your money up to heaven with you, but you can send it on ahead." The happiest people are those that have sent it on ahead.

How can we "look" at "the things which are not seen" (4:18)? By faith as we read God’s Word (Heb.11:1).