Easter 2026

Our text this morning is found in the second

epistle to the Corinthian church, chapter 4,

and we'll begin at verse 14 and look down through

verse 18. The apostle Paul is writing to this

church there in Corinth and he says, knowing,

this is confidence here, knowing that he who

raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up

with Jesus and will present us with you. That

is before his Father. Therefore, because of that,

because we know that, we don't lose heart. Even

though our outward man is perishing, and it is,

yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

For our light, Which is but for a moment is working

for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight

of glory. While we do not look at the things

which are seen, but at the things which are not

seen. For the things which are seen are temporary,

they're transient, they're passing away. But

the things which are not seen are eternal. Would

you join me in prayer asking God to help us this

morning? Father, I feel perhaps most weak when

called to stand behind this sacred desk and proclaim

the praises of the Son of God. Lord, I am certainly

not sufficient for this. Lord, I pray that you

would use my feeble words and your powerful word.

to effect change in the lives of those who have

gathered. Oh, Father, may our perspective be

changed. Lord, fill us with hope and rejoicing

this morning as we contemplate life in light

of the empty tomb. God, would you bring comfort

to those who are hurting, conviction to those

who are sinning, and salvation to those who are

lost. Open their eyes to see the glorious reality

of Christ Jesus, the only Savior and the only

mediator between God and man. Lord, would you

do this for your son's glory. We pray this in

his name. Amen. Through the years, Sandy and

I have done several remodeling projects around

the house. She will come to me with an idea and

she has a vision of what she wants done. And

inevitably, I don't get it. I do not understand.

See, my wife, she has this ability where she

can see the finished project before the project

even begins. She sees things in a way that I

cannot see. I'm always amazed. People can look

at a blueprint and they can actually, in their

mind, envision of what that's going to look like.

I am not one of those people. I think of, you

know, there's famous artists. Think of Michelangelo

with the Statue of David. If that were me, I

would go and I would just see a big block of

marble. Michelangelo looks at it and he sees

this artistic masterpiece. I actually marvel

at Mount Rushmore. Think of all those who work

there. Again, if I'm one of them, I'm standing

there and I see a large granite mountain. But

not them. They see the end from the beginning.

They can see the faces of Washington, Jefferson,

Roosevelt, and Lincoln. And this morning there's

a spiritual parallel to that as well. Through

the scriptures, there were men and women who

also had an ability to see what others could

not see. I think of Abraham. Abraham, it said,

he saw the city that was built by God. And because

he could see that city, it motivated him. Inevitably,

he left his father's house, he left his lands,

he left the pagan gods, and he followed the one

true living God, Moses. Raised in Pharaoh's house.

Raised as a grandson of Pharaoh. But he forsook

the pleasures that Egypt offered. And it says

he did not fear Pharaoh's wrath because he was

able to see him who was invisible. That's the

line. Moses saw what cannot be seen. He saw the

invisible. Elisha. Remember there as he's standing

and vastly outnumbered. And yet his eyes were

opened and he saw the army of angels on the mountain

who had come to help them. Each of these men

saw spiritual realities that others were not

privy or could not see. Each of them walked by

faith. They trusted in God's promises. And in

our text this morning, there's another man. It's

the Apostle Paul. He also had this keen spiritual

sight. He could see what others did not see.

But he calls us, by the Spirit of God, to do

the same today. Now, to me, if I'm looking at

this, when I'm studying for this, I'm like, it

sounds ironic. And if you're here for the first

time, maybe your first time in church, it might

even sound a little bit crazy. We're called to

see what cannot be seen. I mean, that sounds

like a lot of spiritual mumbo -jumbo, right?

No. We're called to see through the eyes of faith.

See, Paul knew something. Paul started in verse

14. He said, we know, we see that Jesus Christ

has been raised from the dead. And that changed

his perspective. He now looked at life through

the lens of an empty tomb. And this is so helpful

for us this morning. Because many of you have

gone through seasons where you felt as though

your life were unraveling. You felt it deep in

your soul. A severe trial or trials ended your

life. And I took away everything that was comfortable,

everything that was familiar, everything that

was secure. And in those dark times, it is so

very easy to think that your life is defined

by what is right in front of you. That's all

you can see because it's so current and it's

so pressing and it's so hard. So in that season,

what you see, you see pain, you feel the suffering,

and you sense the loss. And yet the living God

calls you to set your gaze elsewhere. He tells

you to look at what you cannot see. As we consider

the Apostle Paul and his life, it was difficult

to say the least. It was not a charmed life.

In fact, from an earthly perspective, the Apostle

Paul looked like a life of defeat and one of

loss. Yet in the midst of extreme suffering,

he said in verse 16, we do not lose heart. We

don't get discouraged. We don't give up. Look

at verses 8 through 10, if you will. I think

they're on the wall behind me. Maybe they're

not. Paul wrote, We are afflicted in every way,

but not crushed. We're perplexed, but not driven

to despair. We are persecuted, but not forsaken.

Struck down, but not destroyed. And notice verse

10. Always carrying in the body the death of

Jesus. He has a death sentence upon him. Now

how in the world is a man like that not discouraged?

He's afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck

down, carrying a death sentence in his own body.

And he says, hey, we don't lose heart. Hey, we

don't get discouraged. How? Paul knew something.

He knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

And friends, that changed everything for him.

Because he knew something. He knew that life,

this life, this age is not all there is. There

is a life to come. In spite of all the affliction

that he was enduring, he knew God was going to

resurrect him one day to life eternal. So let's

look at this verse by verse. Let's go back. Look

at verse 14, if you will, with me. Knowing that

he who raised up the Lord Jesus, so there's Christ's

resurrection, will also raise us up with Jesus

and will present us with you. It's a Greek word,

ido. And it literally means to see, but it's

the idea of seeing certainly. It's to have knowledge

of. This is a bedrock confidence, if you will.

So Paul's confidence, it's not an optimism. It's

a confidence that was grounded in the resurrection

of Jesus Christ. He knew that tomb was empty.

He knew Jesus had been raised from the dead.

And since he knew that, he also knew that everyone

who belongs to Jesus, everyone who's in union

with Christ, will also experience a grand resurrection.

That means there is a life to come, and you can't

currently see it. It's invisible to the physical

eye. But friends, it is your eternal reality,

and we want to look at that. See, the resurrection

will also cause you and I to look at life through

a different prism. And it's through that prism

of an empty tomb. Because if the tomb were not

empty, and this life right now, what's in front

of us, is all that we had, we would seek to get

from this life all that we could. That's what

would make sense. That's what the culture does.

Paul said that in 1 Corinthians 15. He said,

if the dead do not rise, there's no resurrection,

there's no age to come. Well, let us eat and

drink, for tomorrow we die. Go out and get all

you can while you can get it. If the dead are

not raised and this life is all there is, you

better maximize it. But Christ is risen, and

that changes everything. First of all, it changes

how we even view our own mortality. Look at verse

16. Therefore we do not lose heart, even though...

Our outward man is perishing, yet the inward

man is being renewed day by day. Therefore. So

why is it therefore, therefore, right? Don't

lose heart. So don't get discouraged. Don't give

up. Don't quit. Why not? Going back to verse

14 because we know something. We know that the

same God who raised up Jesus is going to raise

us up one day. It is... precisely because of

the resurrection of Christ that you and I can

persevere in this life. Persevere in faith, not

getting discouraged, not abandoning Christ. So

here's what we're called to do. Do not quit trusting

God even in suffering because this life doesn't

have the final word. In suffering, there is a

great temptation to quit trusting the Lord. Because

why? There's sickness. And there's no answer.

There's failure. There's loss. There's tremendous

sorrow. And we're tempted to think, if serving

the Lord brings this, why serve him? Is this

all just a charade? Is it one big mirage? And

Paul says, no. Do not quit. Don't quit though

life is difficult, though trials are difficult.

They are not ultimate. Even though our outward

man is perishing, it's decaying. But the inward

man's not. David Garland writes this. He said,

death is chiseling away and breaking Paul down.

But it has no final power over him. It is for

this reason he's willing to speak boldly. And

it's for this reason he's willing to put himself

in danger every hour. The outer man is perishing.

Do we really need to elaborate on that? I came

to this church when I was 29 years old. Lord

willing, if he allows me, next Lord's Day, next

Sunday, I will be 51. I know, you don't have

to tell me. It's obvious the outer man is perishing.

I get it. I see it too. Trust me, there's a lot

more of me at 51 than there was at 29. But what

Paul said, our bodies are getting older, right?

They're perishing. The word literally means decaying.

Just wearing down. Getting older, and I know

for some I'm young. For no one I'm young, but

some I'm not that old. But getting older is a

series of losses. Loss of memory. Loss of strength.

Loss of mobility. Loss of muscle mass. You hear

of sarcopenia on the news all the time. Loss

of bone density. You hear of DEXA scans. Loss

of hair. Loss of eyesight. I'm wearing contacts

that I didn't wear 21 years ago. Hearing. My

wife told me I need to check it the other day.

And eventually, and I haven't gotten there, there's

a loss of teeth even, right? I mean, eventually.

Right now, wrinkles are appearing. If you do

have hair, it's probably turning gray or falling

out. Your joints are wearing down. This is all

that Paul was meaning. He said, your outer man

is just perishing. Are you encouraged yet? You

glad you came to Mamre on Easter Sunday? See,

our culture, it hates aging. And it fights against

it. It sees the gray head as a sign of mortality.

Ancient culture saw the gray head as a sign of

wisdom. But not us. So today we see many people

turn to cosmetic procedures. Why? They want to

stay looking young. Countless people use makeup

and dye their hair and anti -aging products.

They're wanting to make that outer man look younger,

but you can't stop the decay. All the cosmetic

procedures in the world cannot prevent death

from coming. They may make you look younger in

the coffin, but that is all they will do. You

see the idols of a culture. By what a culture

emphasizes. And our culture has many idols, but

one of them is this elusive dream of the fountain

of youth. I mean, just look at TV and look at

social media. They're full of advertisements.

Why? Trying to get you to chase that fountain

of youth. Eat this, drink this, take this pill,

do this exercise, and you will not get old. King

Solomon says, try that. Now go chase the wind.

That's what it is. It's chasing the wind. It's

an empty and futile pursuit. You're not going

to do it, friends. And I'm not saying don't exercise.

I'm not saying not to take care of your health.

But you're not going to stop the decaying process.

Paul told Timothy, he said, bodily exercise profits

a little. There is some profit. Let's not lie

about it. But it's not ultimate. Because godliness

is profitable for all things. Because notice

how he says this. He looks to the future. having

the promise of the life that now is and of that

which is to come. So go ahead, do whatever you

want to your body. It's still going to perish.

You are mortal and you will die. When I think

of the Apostle Paul, I'm sure if we would have

been able to see him physically, that man, even

though aged, he was probably well aged beyond

his years because of all the stress and all the

difficulties he had. He wrote about those in

seven chapters later in the same book of 2 Corinthians,

2 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11. He said, Paul writing, he says, I

am in far greater labors, far more imprisonments,

countless beatings, often near death. Five times

I received at the hands of the Jews, the 40 lashes

less one. So he's beaten with 39 stripes, five

different times. Three times I was beaten with

rods. Once I was stoned, not to have something

different in that culture than ours. This means

literally people were throwing rocks at his head,

trying to kill him. Three times I was shipped.

A night and a day I was adrift at sea on frequent

journeys in danger from rivers, dangers from

robbers, danger from my own people, danger from

Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the

wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false

brothers. You get the point? In toil and hardship

through many a sleepless night, in hunger, thirst,

often without food, in cold and exposure, and

apart from other things. There is the daily pressure

on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Charmed

life, right? This man had no rest wherever he

went. Sorrow and suffering abounded in his life.

And that was the cost of doing God's will. This

was God's will for him. But he said, I'm not

getting discouraged. I'm not quenching. I'm not

losing heart. Why not? Because I know that Jesus

Christ has been raised from the dead. And I know

he will also raise me one day to eternal life.

I am confident of that. See, this is why I think

of all the people on the planet, Christians of

all of them, can face hardship and adversity

and sorrow with joy and courage because we know

this life is not all there is. We know there

is a great reversal of fortune that is coming.

The kingdom of God will come in its fullness

and we will forever live with our king in eternal

bliss. So don't lose heart. Don't quit. The resurrection

of Christ gives us a new perspective on our own

mortality. The outer man's perishing, but the

second person, the inward man, is being renewed

day by day. The inward man, that's your soul.

It's not decaying. It's getting better. It's

being renovated. So the outer man looks less

glorious each day, but the inner man grows more

glorious each day. So God is doing this. big

remodeling project inside of you. But here's

the part I don't like. What tools does God use

to accomplish that remodeling project? Suffering.

Suffering. The very trials that you want God

to take away are the tools he's using to make

you look more like Jesus. Linsky, in his commentary,

says, Paul can watch the destruction of the outer

man. Now, I've not arrived there. Not perfect

calmness. What if his enemies hasten the process?

Yay, bring it to a sudden end by means of a violent

death. Big deal. So what? He loses nothing. The

inner man blossoms into new youth and beauty

and strength day by day. This inner renewal,

it's not hindered, but only helped by the tribulation.

That assails the outer man. The trials actually

serve the purpose of renovating the inner man.

And what he calls these bloody roses. They have

the sweetest odor. Friends, let me say this.

Because of Christ's resurrection, your suffering

is not meaningless. God is using it to make you

fit for heaven. See, we do live in a world that's

still cursed by God, so that means suffering

is going to abound and death is inevitable. The

writer of Hebrews tells us, it is appointed unto

men once to die, and after this comes judgment.

It's going to happen. But because of Christ's

glorious resurrection, death doesn't have the

final word. And we need an anchor. And it's the

resurrection of Christ that anchors us, and it

gives life meaning, even in the midst of tremendous

loss. Suffering has a way of reprioritizing your

life. I can promise you this, what once seemed

so important, no longer does. Instead, there's

a sharper focus on what is truly important. You

know, I think that's why they say, with time

or with age comes wisdom. It's not that age gives

you wisdom, it's just the older you get, the

more you suffer, and suffering brings that perspective.

Now notice Paul's change of perspective in verse

17. For our light affliction, which is but for

a moment, is working, the affliction's working

for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight

of glory. I love this. Light affliction. The

word light means easy. It's easy to carry. It's

light. It doesn't weigh much. Now recall what

Paul endured. Recall what we just read. There

were beatings. He was stoned. He was shipwrecked.

He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was left for

dead. Easy? Light? Now Paul never said that his

suffering was trivial. It's not trivial. He said

it's comparatively light when I compare that

to the weight of glory in eternity. Sam Storms,

in his article I read this week, I loved what

he wrote. God is not asking you to treat pain

as though it were pleasure. Let's not kid ourselves.

Pain hurts. Suffering's real. He's not asking

you to treat grief as though it were joy. It's

not. Life is hard. but bringing all earthly adversity

into comparison with heavenly glory, and thereby

you are strengthened to endure. See, through

faith, the Apostle Paul, he could see the difference

between what he was currently experiencing and

what awaited him in the next age. Romans 8, Paul

said, For I consider that the sufferings of this

present time are not worthy, To be compared with

the glory which shall be revealed in us. He knew

suffering is temporary. Suffering is only in

this age. That's it. And this is how he could

see his affliction as light. This is how he knew

it was easy to bear. See, the pain is real, but

it's temporary. The glory is eternal. I believe

personally that you can go through a lot. You

can endure a lot of pain if you know that it

is only temporary. I really do. I see that with

people because they have hope. It's going to

end one day. Jim Elliot, he was the American

missionary and he was actually martyred by the

Aka people in Ecuador. He famously wrote in his

journal, and probably most of you have heard

the quote and know it. He wrote, he is no fool

who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which

he cannot lose. Jim Elliot knew that to live

your life only for this age is a fool's errand

because this life will end. So he willingly endured

suffering knowing that eternity holds no suffering.

Friends, let me just say, if you're here today

and you're young, this means you don't have to

milk this life for all it's worth. Christ is

risen. There's a much better age to come. And

this is how we see our affliction as light. But

you better know something. When you're being

afflicted, you need to know your affliction is

working for us. And it says it's working a far

more exceeding eternal weight of glory. But I

want you to notice what Paul said. Look at subject,

look at verb. What is working? The affliction.

It's working, it's producing, and what's the

effect? Glory. That means your present suffering,

as hard as it may be, It's the building blocks

of your future glory. What a different perspective

we would have on trials if we could only see

what the Lord is doing through those trials.

I know that to be true. So that means, believer,

your pain, it seems it has no purpose. It's not

wasted. From affliction comes glory. Just as

from death comes resurrection. Now this is where

it gets good. This eternal glory. Look at this

word. It's one word in Greek. Far more exceeding.

And in Greek, you'll see the English word immediately.

It's hyperbole. Hyperbole. Which means beyond

all measure. Now you see the English word immediately.

This is where we get our word hyperbole from.

So notice what Paul is saying. Our future glory

with Christ is beyond comparison. It is impossible

to exaggerate. The glory that those who belong

to Christ is so massive, so expansive, it can't

be measured, it can't be quantified. You can't

even begin to imagine it. In fact, it's impossible

to exaggerate how good it is. You can't overstate

it. It's beyond all measure. Paul, writing about

this, he says, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard.

It's not even entered into the heart of man.

The things which God has prepared for those who

love him. Our eternity, the age to come, will

be far better than you can possibly imagine in

your wildest dreams. As good as you think it

is, it'll be that much better. Now I think of

resort brochures when I'm thinking of this. Because

we like to go on vacation, you get a brochure,

and it always looks so good, and they have the

best pictures. But when you get there, it's never

quite as good as it's pictured. There's always

a little twinge of disappointment. But Paul says,

listen, the glory that awaits the Christian is

so great, so magnificent, it's impossible to

disappoint you. You're going to be overwhelmed

one second in the glory of what God has done.

Philip Hughes says, Affliction for Jesus' sake,

however crushing it may seem, is in fact light,

a weightless trifle when weighed against the

mass of that glory. Hallelujah. Because Christ

is risen, all our suffering, all our heartache,

all our sorrow, it is a distant memory when you

enter into glory. It's gone. Your future, it's

bright. It's eternal happiness. And I love this

because you will be home with Christ. You'll

be with him. You're saying, but pastor, right

now my suffering seems longer than a moment.

I know. I know. Which is why Paul says, compare

it to eternity. In light of eternity, it's a

blip on the radar screen. You need eyes of faith.

You must see with certainty. And look at that

final verse, verse 18. While we do not look at

the things which are seen. What? I mean, where

else do you look? But at the things which are

not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary,

but the things which are not seen, they're eternal.

Paul is not making a distinction between physical

or between material and immaterial, or physical

and spiritual. That's not what he's doing here.

God created the physical universe. It's good.

Our bodies are good. In fact, we're going to

live forever on a new earth in new glorified

bodies. So it's not against physical. Paul is

making a distinction between this current age

of sin and suffering. and the age to come of

glory and no suffering. So all that belongs to

this current age, the one in which we currently

live, it is temporary. Now listen, folks, and

listen, young people. That means the house, the

car, all your possessions, they're temporary.

So don't get too attached to them. That's why

it is so foolish to seek meaning in those things

because they're all going to be gone one day.

Peter says they'll be burnt up. Jesus said this,

for what will profit a man? What profit is there

if he gains this whole world and loses his own

soul? Let me answer that. There is no profit

in that. Or what will man give in exchange for

a soul? One minute in hell, you'd give up everything

you've ever owned. See, the mantra of our age,

this godless age in which we live, it is hedonism

and consumerism. Make as much money as you can.

Seek as much pleasure as you can while you can.

But the resurrection of Christ exposes that as

a lie. It shows us that. Paul said, no, don't

look at what you can see. Well, where do you

want me to look, Paul? Look at what can't be

seen. This age is temporary. The age of come,

which is full of exceeding glory, it's eternal.

Therefore, friends, fix your gaze there. Philippians

3, Paul wrote this. For our citizenship is in

heaven. Also, we eagerly wait for the Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ. What's he going to do?

Who will transform our lowly body, that decaying

body, that it may be conformed to his glorious

body? You are a citizen of heaven. So why don't

you keep your focus where your true life and

true citizenship is found? You're saying, but

how do I know that I'm a citizen of heaven? Because

Christ died and rose again. That's the assurance.

We're almost finished. Kent Hughes said this.

Paul's hope was set in the future resurrection.

For him, the grave was empty. The certitude of

the resurrection was inevitable and compelling.

It determined the way he lived. Because of it,

because he knew Christ had been raised, he bore

in his own body the dying of the Lord Jesus and

lived as a slave to others, and he willingly,

voluntarily, died daily. Paul. could hear the

far -off song of eternal doxology from every

tongue and every tribe. Paul's logic is on fire

here. He said, this age is passing away, so don't

be a fool and set your hope here. Jesus, the

Lord, said the very same thing. Do not lay up

for yourselves treasures on earth where moss

and rough... destroy, where thieves break in

and steal. Okay, don't lay them up in this age,

but rather lay up for yourselves treasures in

heaven. Why? Because there's neither moth nor

rust. Nothing destroys, nothing corrodes, nothing

decays, and there's no thief there. No one's

going to break in and steal what you have. I

love this. The Apostle Paul had no interest in

making a name for himself or amassing the fortunes

of this world. Instead, he chose to live sacrificially.

How? Because he knew this world is passing away

in the lust thereof. He knew it. But he who does

the will of the Lord abides forever. Far too

many people, far too many people spend far too

much of their time and energy on earthly pursuits

that will one day pass away. The Bible calls

that foolish. It's acting like a fool. Hear the

words of wisdom, friends. Christ Jesus is risen.

And that changes everything. So I close with

this. Where is your hope? And I mean to answer

this truly, just in your heart of hearts. Is

it in this age or is it in the age to come? In

this age, everything's passing away. But there's

a truth that you can anchor your life to. Christ

rose from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ died

for our sins. He rose again, defeating death,

and he has brought eternal life to all who trust

in him. Scriptures are clear. There's a future

day of judgment coming for all men. And the only

one who can offer any hope on that day is the

one who conquered the grave. So here's the final

question. In what or in whom? which is the better

question, will you place your trust? Friends,

Christ is risen, and that changes everything.

Let's go to the table and commune with our risen

Lord, praising God for what he's done for us

in his son. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father,

thank you, Lord, for your glorious word and the

power it has to inform us, to instruct us, to

give us light and wisdom. Lord, I pray, God,

that you might use this short time that has been

given to us here at this church, Lord, to see

beyond the curtain. Lord, God, you would give

us eyes to see what can't be seen. Awake us from

our stupor that we would put all our hope and

all our time and all our energy into this life.

It's a bud of vapor. It appears for a moment

and passes away. Father, I pray you'd give us

eyes to see what can't be seen. There's a far

more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that

awaits those who are united to your son. He's

the firstfruits, and after him comes all those

who belong to him. Father, I pray that you would

save the lost this morning, Lord. No doubt in

this congregation there are some who are lost,

Lord, who are under the wrath and condemnation

of God because they have not bowed the knee to

your son. Lord, I pray you'd reveal to them their

sin and reveal to them your son, the Savior.

Father, I pray that you'd wake up some who are

carnal. They're living and just are living, Lord,

not just sinful, but they're living, Lord, foolishly,

Lord, putting all their eggs in this one basket

called now. God, help them to see. Lord, I pray

for those who are suffering. Lord, I pray that

they would have eyes of faith to see beyond their

suffering and that it's building for them glory

in the next stage. God, comfort them. Let them

see the risen Christ. And Father, I pray that

they would find peace in the resurrection of

your son. He is glorious, Lord. Thank you for

giving us Christ. Thank you for your son. Help

us now, Lord, as we go to the table of the Lord

to commune with him, we pray in Jesus' mighty

name. Amen.