Do You Know What You Are?

And so our sermon text is in 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

We'll be reading 2 Corinthians chapter 4 starting at verse 5.

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

2 Corinthians is maybe the most personal letter that Paul wrote to the church.

He had been going through so much suffering and his opponents were saying that the church shouldn't listen to Paul because look how weak he is.

So they were pointing to his suffering as a sign of weakness.

And then Paul, by the inspiration of the Spirit, takes out the pen and here comes this letter to the church.

It's like Paul's life has been wrung like you would take a wet towel and just wring out all the water of it.

And that's what spills onto the page.

It's what's on the inside of Paul through all that he had been going through.

The essence of his faith comes out in the verses we're going to read.

As I read this, remember that this is God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.

It's God's very own word for you, his people.

When I'm done reading, I'll say this is the word of the Lord and will respond.

Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians chapter 4 from 5 to 18.

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your servants, for Jesus' sake.

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed.

We are perplexed, but not in despair.

Persecuted, but not forsaken.

Cast down, but not destroyed.

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.

That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake.

That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

We, having the same spirit of faith according as it is written, I believed, and therefore I have spoken.

We also believe, and therefore speak.

Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God.

For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God indeed.

You may be seated.

The Bible says that the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Let's pray.

Father, we trust the promise that as rain brings grain for food,

your word goes forth and does not return unto you void.

Your word does accomplish that which you please.

We trust that your word shall prosper in the purpose for which you send it.

I ask, Lord, that you will speak,

speak through the sermon that you have helped me to prepare by the power of your Holy Spirit.

Lord, I am weak, but you are strong.

I pray that the words that come from me as a vessel will just fall and turn to dust and blow away.

But the words that reveal Jesus Christ, the treasure of heaven,

that those will impact your people, Lord.

Encourage them.

Reorient us to what matters most in life for your glory in our lives, we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

I want to talk to you today about what you are.

Not who you are, but what you are.

I feel like this is a dangerous sermon,

not because it's complicated,

but to openly live out our faith,

it is dangerous in this world.

It's God who preserves us.

I'm encouraged that we're not alone

in that battle of doing our best to live out and march out our faith

in a world that hates the gospel.

I'm encouraged by all kinds of different heroes.

I've had the opportunity this past year to study one Puritan in the 1600s.

His name was John Flavel.

So I want to talk to you about the body and the soul from this text today,

but I'm also going to be drawing a lot from John Flavel.

He's become my favorite of all the Puritans.

You might say, why the Puritans?

Well, they got to build on the great doctrines of the Reformation

that had been buried for centuries,

and they lived in a time of extreme persecution.

You'll get some insights into that today.

John Flavel's parents were devout Christians.

They were what was called nonconformists in England.

Their conviction said that they will continue to worship God

despite the restrictions that the government kept imposing.

Well, one evening, his parents gathered with a group of Christians to pray.

That's all they were doing.

They were meeting in a home to pray.

But that was breaking the laws of England.

So they got arrested, and they got put into prison.

And the prisons in the 1600s in England is not where you want to be.

There would be diseases being carried by mice everywhere.

There was no provision of food or even blankets or the basic necessities to live.

So you were depending on your relatives and others,

bringing you everything to survive every day,

and also to pay for your own rent for taking up this space in a public building.

So many prisoners had to pay a beggar to beg for money on their behalf

and then keep a commission.

And under those conditions,

these Puritan, nonconformist Christians,

who were simply trying to be obedient,

they wasted away and died in prison.

Those were John Flavel's parents.

The world viewed the Christians as the problem.

Things haven't changed for us.

It's different, and we're in a time of peace.

But the world still attacks the truth of God's Word.

One specific way that this is happening more and more

is that the world tries to detach your personal identity from what you are.

There are two quotes I came across this week.

I won't even tell you who said them,

because it doesn't really matter.

It's really a symptom of a much deeper issue.

Here's the first quote.

This is wrong, but this is what the world says.

Nature made a mistake which I have corrected.

Well, nature doesn't create anything.

The Bible teaches that God is the creator

and that God is wise

and all of God's ways are perfect.

Here's another quote.

All of us are put in boxes by our society,

our moment in history,

and even our bodies.

And some people have courage to break free.

This view denies Christ as holy,

as the king,

and as the coming judge.

So I think it's very important that you, Christian,

you know what you are.

We can buy into these lies from Satan,

from our own sin inside of us,

and from the world as well.

We can start to think that what I really am

is whatever I feel.

And if what you feel is who you are,

then your feelings will bulldoze over

every aspect of your life.

On the other hand,

if you are only a body,

then there's no world to come.

There's no spiritual realm.

Why would you live this life anyway,

but besides what pleases the body?

So my goal is that if you are a Christian,

you will know more clearly

what you are according to God's word.

I'm going to do my best to persuade you

of this proposition.

What God made you in this life

prepares you perfectly for the next.

I'm going to try to show you five truths

from God's word

about what you and I are.

Here's the proposition one more time.

What God made you in this life

prepares you perfectly for the next.

Number one,

what are you?

You and I are vessels.

Notice Paul's words

in verses five, six, and seven.

Remember, they're criticizing Paul.

They're saying,

Paul, you're so weak.

Who are you?

Why should we listen to you?

There's these super apostles.

There's these very eloquent speakers.

Why would we listen to you?

And Paul's answer is in verse five.

It's because we don't preach ourselves,

but we preach Christ Jesus,

the Lord,

and ourselves as your servants

for Jesus' sake.

Yes, we're low.

We're so low.

We're your slaves.

For God,

who commanded the light

to shine out of the darkness,

has shined in our hearts

to give the light

of the knowledge

of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure

in earthen vessels.

Why?

That the excellency of the power

may be of God

and not of us.

Do you know what you are, Christian?

You are an earthen vessel.

There's dust

that gets mixed with water,

put on a potter's wheel,

and shaped

to a form that's useful.

That's what you are,

and that's what I am.

This is the time of year

where, according to the internet,

48% of people

make a goal related

to their fitness.

And also,

according to the same source,

91% fail to keep that.

Why do you think that is?

Well, I think the true answer

is because there's bad theology,

obviously.

But then you could say,

well, does that mean

someone with great theology

is the most fit?

Well, unfortunately,

that's not true either.

You're thinking,

when's the last time

you looked in the mirror

there, preacher?

No Greek statue yourself.

But we are vessels.

But the Bible says

we're also more than vessels.

It says we created

by God in two parts.

Notice in verse 6,

he says that

the gospel shined in your heart.

That's your inner being.

That's one of the parts.

It's inside of you,

who you are in the inside.

Then he says in verse 7,

you're made as an

earthen vessel.

And that's your outer being.

And this is an ancient truth

that's been echoed

through all of the Scripture

very clearly.

We're told in Genesis 2-7

that the Lord God

formed man

of the dust

of the ground.

There's the earthen vessel.

That's the outer man,

the body,

the flesh,

or the strength.

Then,

God also breathed

into his nostrils

the breath of life.

and man became

a living soul.

That's what Genesis 2 says.

So God is the one

who breathed

a spiritual,

inner being

into man.

That's the inner man,

the heart,

the mind,

the soul.

John Flavel said,

a human being

is not a soul

nor a body,

but both together

as a composite.

Notice that when they

asked Jesus,

how should we live?

What does it mean

to obey your law?

Jesus gave a wonderful answer

and he's really just

telling them back

what Moses told

the second generation

before they entered

the promised land.

You know,

the Ten Commandments

went to the first generation

at Mount Sinai,

Exodus 20,

but then to the second generation

that are about to enter

the land in Deuteronomy 5.

Moses summarizes it all up

with what Jesus quotes

in Mark 12, 30.

You shall love

the Lord thy God,

listen to this,

with all thy heart,

soul,

mind.

Is that inner or outer?

Heart, soul, mind.

It's all your inner man

and with all thy strength.

That's the outer man.

Psalm 8 describes

the creation of Adam

and all of Adam's seeds,

so all humankind,

as being made a little lower

than the angels.

angels,

so you're put on earth

in a physical body,

but also given dominion

over all the animals.

So man is in this position.

You're not an angel,

but you're not a beast.

You have a body of a beast.

You have a body

that's an earthen vessel,

but you are a spiritual being.

You're made for eternity.

You're made for that spiritual realm

like the angels.

And then that's interpreted

by the author of Hebrews

in Hebrews 2

as Christ's incarnation.

Christ was made

a little lower than the angels.

Being truly God,

he also became truly man.

And he was given dominion

over all the created realm.

John Flavel wrote

that you are alive physically

now because soul,

your soul,

is the life of your body.

The absence of the soul

is death to the body.

Death is one of the hardest things

for metaphysicists to define.

What is death?

What is death?

And we would say

simply when the soul

leaves the body,

that's death.

So you're alive physically

when your soul

is still in your body.

And created under Adam,

cursed under the sin,

he wrote that

Christless men

are not dead

in the physical sense.

They are naturally alive,

though they are spiritually dead,

because they are separated

from God.

Eternal death

is the separation

of both body

and soul

from God.

What is eternal death?

It's when both your body

and your soul

are detached

from your creator.

That's death.

You see how

what God made you

in this life,

it prepares you perfectly

for the life to come.

God put your soul

in a weak vessel.

Why did he do that?

Well, Paul says here,

it's so that your body

and your weakness

will expose to you

your need for God,

your dependence on Christ.

He says in verse 5,

that's why we preach

Christ Jesus our Lord

and not ourselves.

So it's tempting,

isn't it,

to look around

or just maybe

to look at yourself

if you're like me

and wish God

had given you

a better body

or maybe even

a better mind,

less broken.

That's probably

the root of all

of our envy

and covetousness.

We are weak vessels,

but we have to trust

that God made us

weak vessels

to point us to Him,

to show us

you need God.

You are weak.

You're too weak

on your own.

You need to be right

with your creator.

God did design you,

body and soul,

perfectly for His purposes

in this life

in preparation

for the next.

Verse 7,

it's that the excellency

of the power

may be of God

and not of us.

Amen?

So that's number one.

You are a vessel.

Do you know

what you are?

Number two,

you are a treasure

holding vessel.

You're not only a vessel,

you are a treasure

holding vessel.

Paul wrote in verse 6

that God shined

in our hearts

into our soul

the inner man

and He gave

to your inner being

a treasure

in verse 7.

What is the treasure

He's talking about?

Well, He answers that

in verse 6.

Look at that.

The treasure is

the light

of the knowledge

of the glory

of God

in the face

of Jesus Christ.

That is the treasure.

If you've

seen Jesus

with the eyes

of faith,

you know God

and that's

the treasure.

He says in verse 8,

We are troubled

on every side

yet not distressed.

We are perplexed

but not in despair.

Persecuted,

not forsaken,

cast down

but not destroyed.

Always bearing about,

listen,

in the body

the dying

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That the life

also

of Jesus

might be made

manifest

in our body.

See His perfect design?

I love how

Blaise Pascal

described this.

So,

I'm trying to argue here

that you are

a vessel

that was designed

by God

to hold

this great treasure.

That's what

you were designed for.

And to not have

this great treasure,

listen to how

this mathematician

described it.

He says,

There is a God-shaped

vacuum

in the heart

of each man

which

cannot be

satisfied

by any

created

thing.

That's a lot

of things.

It cannot

be satisfied

by anything

created

but only

by God

the Creator

made known

through Christ

Jesus.

Amen.

There's a creator-creature

distinction.

Nothing

that the Creator

has made

can satisfy

what you

as a vessel

were made

to hold.

The inner

treasure

makes all

of your

outer

suffering

worth it.

And I'm

looking around

the room,

there has been

a lot of

suffering

in the outer

being.

Some of you

are currently

suffering in the

body

right now.

Or even

harder than that

is your dear

loved one

is suffering

deeply

in the

body

of flesh.

Paul says

that the

same God

who spoke

light

into darkness

and created

the whole

world,

that's the

power of

His Word.

He's

regenerated

you.

He has

brought life

to your

inner being.

Your

eternal

destiny

now hinges

entirely upon

whether or

not your

soul,

your inner

person is

united to

Christ

through faith

while your

body still

lives.

When your

soul leaves

your body

it's too

late.

John

Flavel

wrote,

you are

alive

spiritually

now

if

Christ

is the

life

of your

soul.

The

absence

of Christ

is death

to the

soul.

But your

soul,

in verse

7 we're

told,

receives this

treasure,

the light

of the

knowledge

of God.

And it

makes

everything

you go

through on

the outside,

everything

that that

weak vessel

has to

bear,

as it

wears thinner

and thinner

with the

suffering in

life,

doable.

Not only

doable,

if you

trust that

you were

made in

this life

exactly how

God wanted

you to be

made,

preparation

for the

life to

come,

it makes

your

suffering

now worth

it.

It made

it worth

it for

Paul.

He told

this same

church later

in the same

letter,

not to

brag,

in fact it was

to brag about

his suffering

and his

weakness

as a

vessel.

He was

whipped

with 39

lashes,

40 would

kill you,

it was one

short of

killing you,

five different

times.

He was

beaten with

rods for

preaching the

gospel of

Jesus Christ,

three different

times.

He was

pummeled with

stones,

which was also

meant to

kill you.

He was

shipwrecked

three times,

traveling to

take the

good news

to those

who had

never heard

it.

On one

of those

trips,

he was

adrift at

sea one

night and

one day.

He was

frequently

having to

travel.

He experienced

dangers from

rivers,

wild beasts,

robbers,

in the

wilderness.

He experienced

danger at

sea,

danger from

false

brothers,

toil and

hardship,

many sleepless

nights,

often hungry and

thirsty,

cold and

exposed,

and he

felt daily

anxiety for

the bride of

Christ.

But it was

all worth

it.

That wasting

away of his

outer man was

worth it because

of the deep

treasure that

God had

shined in

Paul's heart.

It's good for

us to think

about our

body,

our soul,

and even

death.

God gave

us to wear

in the

soul.

God

clothes and

covers it.

It hath

worn this

garment of

flesh from

the beginning

and is to

wear it

still till

sickness has

brought it to

rags and

death stripped

it from its

soul.

It's good for

us to think of

our bodies

as rags or

garments.

It's what

God gave us

to wear in

this life.

It's going to

be decaying

off of our

soul.

It's going to

be turned to

dust.

In the

resurrection,

we will wear

this body

again, but

glorified.

What Paul is

confessing to

the church

here, this

inner strength

of being

united to

Christ, is

the same

thing that

John wrote

in 1

John 4.

He who

is in

you is

greater than

he who

is in

the world.

We need

faith to

hold that

truth and

believe it.

The inner

treasure makes

all the

suffering of

the outer

vessel worth

it, because

what God

made you in

this life

prepares you

perfectly for

the next.

Do you

know what

you are?

you are a

treasure-holding

vessel.

What's more,

as your

vessel wears

thin, what

you are on

the inside

gets manifested.

As your

vessel wears

thin, what

you and I

are on the

inside gets

manifested.

Notice what

Paul writes

in verse 11.

For we

which live

are always

delivered

unto death

for Jesus'

sake, that

the life

also of

Jesus might

be made

manifest,

where?

In our

mortal

flesh.

Verse 12.

So then,

death worketh

in us,

but life

in you.

We, having

the same

spirit of

faith,

according

as it is

written,

I believed,

and therefore I

have spoken,

we also

believe,

and therefore

speak.

Paul's just

bearing witness.

He's testifying.

He's saying

that all of

that suffering,

it wears me

thin, and my

body is dying.

Paul's garments

are worn as

thin as rags,

and these

false teachers

are mocking

him for being

so weak.

He says,

praise God,

God, in

verse 11.

All that

does, as I

wear thin in

my body,

all that

does is it

makes manifest

Jesus Christ,

who's on the

inside,

through my

mortal body.

Praise God.

Well, we all

feel the

wearing away.

Children that

are growing,

you have

growing pains,

you feel your

body growing

and adapting

and changing.

The rest of

us get hurt

doing all

kinds of

very simple,

basic tasks.

Someone said,

life is like

a roll of

toilet paper.

The closer

you get to

the end,

the faster

it goes.

Think about

how many

gifts were

in your

family this

year that

had to do

with managing

pain or

providing a

little bit

more comfort

somehow.

So either

way, your

body and

mine are

dying.

we are

wasting away.

But the

difference is

that when

Christ is

the treasure,

that's not

a bad thing.

We're going

to have a

day of

fasting.

We're going

to be

showing how

weak our

vessels are

and whatever's

on the inside

will get

manifested.

Doesn't that

happen?

The Lord

makes you

limp around

for a while

or puts you

in a hospital

bed.

Whatever's

on the inside

gets manifested.

The world

can be

the opposite.

We

sympathize.

This is

what our

flesh wants

too.

We want

the outside

to be

perfect or

make everyone

think it's

perfect.

But you

ask that

person,

they say

they feel

dead inside.

Well, we

believe that

we were all

dead inside.

Ephesians 2.

Unbelievers

stay dead.

we have

the promise

that God

while you

were dead

in sin

he saved

you.

He loved

you.

He regenerated

you.

So our

body is

dying

but we

have eternal

life.

The world

might try to

preserve the

body but if

there's spiritual

death

where is your

hope?

Eternal

death,

Flavel wrote,

is the

separation

of the

body and

the soul

from God.

So a

spiritually

dead person

ignores the

life to

come.

But the

Bible says

that at the

resurrection

both your

body and

your soul

will have

a horrid

reunion

one with

the other.

Think of

that.

When Christ

returns and

those who

are not

united to

Christ in

their soul

they will

be raised

on the

great day

of judgment.

John

Flavel

imagines

that day

where their

body and

their soul

are brought

back together

one blaming

the other.

To paraphrase

him he said

the soul

might say

body

you made

us live

for all

of your

wants.

It's your

fault now.

We have

no hope.

The body

says back

soul

your pride

blocked

God's

call.

But you

into whose

heart God

has shined

Jesus Christ

we read in

verse 10

you always

bear about

in the

body

the dying

of the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

You bear

the dying

of Jesus

in your

body.

Paul calls

this mortifying

sin putting

to death

the remaining

sin in the

flesh.

You want

to know

what you

are.

then think

of that.

Think of

being united

to Christ

in his

dying.

We read

in Luke

Luke 23:43

23

verse 43

as Jesus

hangs dying

on the

cross

and he

regenerates

the criminal

next to

him.

Jesus

promises

that

criminal

this day

you

will be

with me

in paradise.

From that

Flavel

said

the soul

is the

life of

the body

so the

soul of

that criminal

will be

with Christ

because they're

united

spiritually

and though

the body

of Christ

will be

put into

the grave

and buried

and something

will happen

to the body

of that

criminal

the soul

is so

united

to Christ

that that

day

the criminal

will enjoy

eternal

life.

We read

in John

19

30

Jesus

says

it is

finished

and then

he bowed

his head

and gave

up his

ghost

or his

spirit.

So

Jesus

died

he gave

up his

soul

or his

spirit

his inner

being

was

separated

from his

body.

It

fulfills

what we're

told in

Ecclesiastes

12

7

then the

dust

shall

return

to the

earth

as it

was

in the

spirit

to God

who gave

it.

Paul's

body

was

delivered

over

to die

just as

Christ

was.

The

sacrifice

that Paul

endured

as a

missionary

was

identifying

with

Jesus

Christ

on the

cross

and

just

as

the

Lord

Jesus

gave

hope

to that

criminal

and to

you

and me

that we

are united

to him

it was

the

persecution

and the

suffering

that Paul

endured

that was

a spiritual

gift

it was

giving

life

it was

ministering

Christ

to the

church

all who

believe

share in

the same

spirit of

faith

he writes

and it's

because it

flows

from union

to Christ

the true

vine

all souls

that are

engrafted

into Christ

share in

that same

union

with Christ

so God

might use

the

ailments

the

illness

the

troubles

that you

experience

in your

body

in this

life

to drive

your soul

to that

union

and once

you're united

to Christ

he uses

that union

to Christ

to encourage

you

as your

body

wears thin

as that

vessel

gets weaker

and weaker

and weaker

what's on

the inside

will be

manifest

he will

manifest

that precious

union to

Jesus

Christ

and God

will be

glorified

in your

life

it'll be

a blessing

it'll be

a testimony

to those

he brings

into your

life

so you

are a

treasure

holding

vessel

and as

the vessel

wears thin

what's on

the inside

gets

manifested

do you

want to

know

what you

are

you are

a body

and a

soul

made

made

for God's

glory

you are

a body

and a soul

made for

God's

glory

verses 14

through 17

knowing

that he

which raised

up the

Lord Jesus

shall raise

up us

also

by Jesus

and shall

present us

with you

for all

things are

for your

sakes

that the

abundant

grace

might through

the thanksgiving

of many

redound

to the

glory

of God

for which

cause we

faint not

but though

our outward

man perish

yet the

inward

man is

renewed

day by

day

for our

light

affliction

is but

for a

moment

and it

works for

us a

far more

exceeding

and eternal

weight

of glory

verse

15

what is

all this

for

why does

God allow

weak

vessels

to go

through

all that

we go

through

in a

life

it's

that it

may

redound

it may

multiply

it may

reverberate

as

thanksgiving

for the

glory

of God

and he

says he's

working the

glory of

God

inside of

you

he calls

it the

eternal

weight

of glory

that's even

more exceeding

than what

you know

now

we have

the promise

that our

Lord Jesus

will present

you to

God

body

and soul

faultless

how can

he do

this

how can

God

who created

you as a

body and

soul

present you

broken as

you and I

are

faultless

in this

way

Hebrews 2

answers this

question

Hebrews 2

14

because you

and I

are flesh

and blood

Christ

himself

also

likewise

became

flesh

and blood

that through

his death

he might

destroy the

devil who

has the

power

of death

Jesus

Christ

became

a man

we read

in the

Chalcedonian

Creed

he became

a full

man

body

and soul

according to

his human

nature

in order

to deliver

you as

the only

mediator

between

God

and man

in order

to present

you

faultless

before

God

John

Flavel

wrote

that at

death

the soul

feels

the house

in which

it dwelt

dropping

into

ruins

what will

your soul

do on

that day

either

Christ

takes

your soul

that day

when your

body

drops

like a

collapsing

house

and Christ

presents

you

faultless

or you're

left

homeless

away

from God

your sin

cannot be

in his

holy

presence

he says

your soul

will be

looking for

a new

habitation

but if

you're

united

to Christ

in your

soul

you don't

fear

death

Flavel

wrote

on that

day

you can

happily

let go

of your

body

trusting

that

Christ

will

receive

you

forever

and

one day

he will

call

your

body

to be

reunited

to your

soul

the glorified

state

of the

resurrection

so we

behold the

glory of

God in

Jesus

by faith

now

it's the

invisible

realm

one day

that faith

will be

made

sight

Job

said

it's

with my

eyes

that I

will

see

my

redeemer

one

day

what a

great

and exceeding

weight

of glory

that

expression

the

weight

of

glory

the

weight

of your

gold

or your

treasure

represented

who you

were

and how

much

you

were

literally

how much

you are

worth

so you

could go

to one

man's

household

and he

would have

his little

treasury

you would

have to

stockpile

all of

that up

and weigh

it

and you

go to

another

man's

house

and you

take

all

that he

owns

and put

it on

a balance

and weigh

it all

up and add

up how much

treasure you've been able to amass for yourself

and however much it weighs

the more glorious or powerful or wealthy you are

Paul's lost everything

he's like Job

in the New Testament

he's lost everything

but he's trusting by faith

there is a greater weight

of glory

in the life to come

we trust in the words of Romans 14

that whether we live

or die

we are the Lord's

for to this end

Christ died

rose

and revived

that he might be

both Lord

of the dead

and of the living

we sang now

which was

our catechism

the first one

in an orthodox catechism

what is your only comfort

in life

and in death

the answer is

that I am not my own

but I belong

body and soul

to my faithful Savior

Jesus Christ

he has fully paid

for all my sins

with his precious blood

what God made you in this life

prepares you perfectly

for the next

Flavel wrote

that when the light of this world is gone

and all the joy ceases on earth

as you mourn

around a deathbed

it's faith

that can give us sights

of things invisible

in the other world

those sights

will breathe life

into your souls

amidst the very pangs

of death

praise God

for this gift

of faith

if your outer

self

is wasting away

it's for God's glory

there's a bright

shining treasure

in your soul

the knowledge

of God

and the more cracks

start to spread

throughout the vessel

of the body

the more of the light

of Christ

can shine through

the more your body

is wasting away

the more

you put to death

the desires

of your flesh

all the more

does Jesus

shine through

because you are

body and soul

made for God's glory

well here's the last

thing you need to know

about what you are

you are made

body and soul

for the everlasting

world to come

you are made

body and soul

not for this world

but for the everlasting

world to come

that's what Paul writes

in verse 18

while we look not

at the things

which are seen

but at the things

which are not seen

for the things

which are seen

are temporal

but the things

which are not seen

are eternal

how do you know

that what Paul

is saying is true

how can you know

that this is

what's really

going to happen

when this life

is over

when your body

the house

collapses

and your soul

enters the spiritual

realm

without a body

there's no way

for me to prove

this to you

scientifically

you need to ask

the Lord

to give you

a gift of faith

but one day

for everyone

death will prove

whether the testimony

of God's word

is true

death

will put this

to the test

so we have to ask

the question