2 Corinthians 4:14-18 | Defeating Discouragement

This is City Post Church. We're about three things.

Build equipped and send. All under the Lordship.

Of Jesus Christ. A small church plant in Fort

Worth, TX. Who decided to do things a

little differently? Adoramos ayesu cristo I love

city post because of the people. It's where I belong.

We truly preach the Word. I love City Post because of the

community we've been able to build.

To do ministry like Jesus. For light to push back darkness.

This is City Post podcast. I played football all through

high. School and I graduated from

Pascal High School. But my senior.

Year playing at Pascal. This year was different because

we went into a new district. And the coach ran a 52 defense.

Now a 5. Two means 5 down lineman and two

backers. And all through my high school.

Career in football, I always played a Rover.

Which was like an outside. Backer strong safety, but this.

Year, the coach, said Kado. We're going to put.

You as a nose tackle. And I was like, what is that?

So my role, my job in this position was to line up in front

of the center and. All I did was shoot the A gap or

the B gap. Now, we had a stud for a

linebacker, so my job was to free him up so that way the

guard didn't pull to block him. I I was supposed.

To like help stop the. Schemes in the middle of

everything and I remember the first team that we played my

senior year and this is the first time I've started in

varsity. Always backed up.

In my junior year, but I get to start this time.

We played Crowley High School. So we get out there.

And I'm like super excited. I'm like, let's go.

Like it's a new position that I'm in.

All I got to do is shoot. The gaps, no problem.

Soon as they hike the ball, I got my tail whooped.

I mean, I was pancaked. I mean I got.

Ear holed like they pulled. I try to follow them.

Nothing. I mean, it was so.

Bad like that that the guards. Just like they laid on top of

me. I remember one of them like they

started punch like hitting me on my sides, dug their elbows in my

back. One of them like.

Pulled the back. Of my helmet down and used the

face mask. All it was, it was.

Brutal. So we're losing 21 to 0.

No surprise. At halftime we go into half and

the coach, of course, encourages us.

He starts speaking in tongues. I can't.

Repeat but. I remember my defensive line

coach calls me and he says Coddle come here and then he

looks at me and he goes. You got to do something.

What are you doing? And I'm like, I'm just shooting

the gaps like you asked me to. And he's like, no, you've got to

do something. And he goes Right now you are.

Playing not to get hit. And he goes.

You're a defensive lineman. You got to be violent.

Is that you Got to be rough, you got to be aggressive.

Suck it up, do. Something and stop playing not

to get hit and I remember that kind of lit something inside of

me. He, he probably called me a punk

in front of the whole team pretty much.

And and then he said some other kind words and then now when the

second-half. Started.

It, it kind of ignited something in me and the first thing I did

was I took out the dude's knees and then I started holding their

legs and I and then I started using my hands.

And the more it got, the more encouraged I felt.

To like do what I was. Called and supposed to do, and I

think sometimes when we talk about the Christian life.

God is. Calling us.

God is, is. Calling us in the game, well,

especially. If you're if you are a follower.

Of Jesus Christ and he puts you in a position.

To move his purpose forward, which is to build.

His Kingdom, but what many of us don't really take account it.

For is. As we're put in this position,

what happens when you get pancakes?

What happens when you're put in that position and it is like

bam, one hit after another and you're like, what is going on?

I am getting destroyed right now and we start living our

Christian lives trying not to. Get hit and God is.

Calling us to this amazing story, this amazing plan he has

called us all into and he's put us in and aligned us in this

specific position. But what?

Happens when you get hit. And what ended up happening with

me was I got hit so many times that discouragement started

impacting what the. Goal.

I had it. Started to impact what I knew

what I was supposed to. Do it started to.

To like to meet like. Just.

Wait on me to the point where I was like, I I shouldn't even be

here right now. These guys are killing me.

And listen. As as believers in Christ,

there's going to be times. Where God puts.

You in a position to. Serve him.

But you get pancakes and. Discouragement starts to settle.

In our souls and what discouragement.

Does is that? Discouragement, when it goes

unchecked, leads to disobedience and.

What I want to look at today is as we pursue Christ.

Remember we. Talked about this last week.

Our goal is we want to pursue Christ.

How do we pursue? Christ when discouragement

creeps in. What do we do?

How do we manage that? And I think there's no better

person to tell us than the apostle Paul.

So let's go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4.

Second Corinthians chapter 4 out of IF.

2 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

If there's anybody in this world that could talk about

discouragement, that could talk about their tail getting kicked.

That could talk about getting. Beat down for the purposes.

That God has. Called them to.

It is the Apostle Paul. Brother went through it.

But Paul's. Perspective and how Paul viewed

ministry and life. I think there's something that

we could learn from him. And my goal for today?

My prayer for everybody, including myself.

Is that if you are? Going through a time of

discouragement that. You leave here.

Encouraged knowing that God has not left you alone and that

there's a. Greater plan here for you.

Before I read the. Text let me pray for.

Us So Father, I pray that you speak through to us through your

word. And Lord help us.

As we walk through your text, Lord help me Father to.

Teach everything that I've studied.

Lord, and that I keep. Everything in its context and

everything come from you, not from me.

So, Lord, I pray God that you help us today.

In the name we pray. Amen, man.

So we're going to look at, we're going to start looking at verse

13. But before I read.

The text I want to talk a little bit about discouragement and I

think one of the best definitions I've heard about

discouragement. I'll go ahead and put it on the

screen. Discouragement.

Is dissatisfaction with the past distaste for the present and

distrust for the future dissatisfaction with the past

distaste? For the present and distrust.

For the future. So as we're serving the Lord and

things are not going the way that we wanted them to go, or we

get pancake, we get hit. Man, I love like the text that

my brother Juan read like we planned that or something.

Right. So like we get attacked

spiritually. And the enemy comes and the the

thing that he could. Do is discourage?

Us from serving Christ and pull us away from the faith and when

it discouragement creeps into our life, we start having a

dissatisfaction from our past like man like why?

Did that have to happen? To me and then we camp out

there, but then that bleeds into our present and then we have a.

Distaste for our our present. Like, man, because of my past,

now I'm stuck where I'm at. And because I'm stuck where I'm

at now I have a distrust from my future.

Now I can't trust where I'm going because I'm worried about

all these elements that crept into my life.

And let me tell you something Church big fat.

Lie. Huge deceit from the enemy.

Because what God says is that. Have something bigger and better

for you? So before I read. 13 Let me

catch. Us up the Apostle Paul.

In chapter 4 is going to be telling us.

About all the hardships. That he's going through.

For the gospel he even. Starts verse one.

With this whole idea is because we have.

This ministry of mercy that God's giving us, Don't lose

heart. Don't lose heart.

And then he goes on to talk about in Chapter 4.

All the hard stuff he's. Gone through?

Then he gets to this. Section where he talks about us

being jars of. Clay filled with treasure.

So we're like normal. People are.

A normal utilization of things. He uses the example.

Of a jar of clay. Because in that culture use.

The jar of clay for. Everything to get water to make

wine in. To wash clothes with it, it's

kind of like. Our rendition of a Walmart bag.

My Walmart bag. Right, I carry groceries with.

It it becomes something I put wet.

Clothes in I use. It as a trash can.

When I get my hair done, I put it over my head and I run

through the rain. I'm joking.

Right, so. You use it for so many things.

It's something so normalized in our culture.

But that's what Paul is saying. He's like, we're like jars of

clay. Something so normal, something

that we use all the time, but the difference is there's a

treasure inside of us and that. Is Jesus Christ.

It is the. Gospel message, The Holy Spirit.

He lists all this stuff. He's like, so don't get

discouraged. And then he starts in verse 13,

and this is where we're going to camp out.

Today look at verse. 13 and then Paul says it is written, I

believe. Therefore I have.

Spoken since we have the same. Spirit of faith, we also.

Believe and therefore speak, because we know.

That the one who raised. The Lord Jesus from the dead

will. Also raise us with Jesus.

And present us with you to himself.

All right, so this section we're we're going to kind of break

this thing down. Here chapter verse 13 Paul

starts for it is. Written so when I.

Observe the text I see. Quotation marks.

That means he's quoting somebody from somewhere.

And as Paul is going to write to encourage us.

To get through all of this hardship for the gospel.

And all this encouragement. What he does is that he quotes

David. He quotes Psalms 116.

Think about it. Paul is like.

Think about who he quotes. Out of everybody, he thinks, who

else? Has gone through something

Really. Hard, really difficult.

Who has suffered for his faith and.

Suffered for the gospel, David. And I looked it up and I was

like pulse quoting. David, if you look at.

Psalms 116 I'll just. Read it for us, real.

Quickly starting on verse. 8 This is the this.

Is David saying for you Lord have delivered me from death, my

eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling and then in verse 10

he says I trusted in the. Lord, when I said I am greatly

afflicted, what? David is saying is because I'm

trusting in God in my affliction, therefore I'm.

Able to say this? I trust in the Lord.

Many of us have got to understand that.

If you trust. In the Lord you've got.

To be able to say it. And many of us can't say it,

because our faith is not. There.

We think that this. Is it for us?

And what Paul is saying is like, listen.

I have faith like David had faith.

Even though I'm going through this.

The the this really. Difficult situation, this

affliction in my. Life just like David.

I'm going to say the same thing. Therefore, because I have faith,

because I have his. Spirit in me, I am going to

speak this and also I'm going to speak this because I know that

my afflictions and my hardships are going to lead me to

something greater. It says it right here.

The one who? Raised the Lord Jesus.

From the dead and also. Raised us with Jesus.

And present us with you to himself, Paul believed.

That the purpose of his. Afflictions and his near death

sufferings and all of the hardships and experiences that

that he. Faced, Paul believed.

That he lived and experienced. This for the resurrection life

of Jesus Christ. He's going through it for a

specific reason and purpose. And he understands that it.

Changed the way that he. Viewed it, Paul knew.

That all of his despair. And listen, if you guys want to

see what Paul went through, stay in Second Corinthians and go to

Chapter 11 and read verses 23. Through 30.

Three, he gives you a. Laundry list of stuff.

That he has gone through. You want to talk about

discouragement? Read. 23 through 33.

It's difficult, but Paul. 'S like man, but this ministry

that he's given us. It's worth it.

So he's. Serving the Lord, all these

things are hitting Him. So then the question.

Is how? How do I get through this?

Encouragement or discouragement. Now look at verse 15.

This gets crazy. Because Paul says something

here. That.

Should be encouraging to us, but when we read it.

It's like. Oh, I don't know.

Look at 15. He goes for all of this is for

your benefit What so all of his hardships?

Everything that he's going through, all his afflictions.

All the difficult stuff that Paul is, is.

Rocking through. What he says is it's for your.

Benefit what? What's the benefit?

Here, so that the grace. That is, reaching more and more

people may cause Thanksgiving to.

Overflow to the glory of God. I think maybe sometimes when we

are serving the Lord and we go. Through some hardships.

And we go through some trials and we go through some some

really uncomfortable situations. Instead of us.

Complaining to the Lord instead of us falling into our

rebellious nature and becoming. Like this little like spiritual

hermit crab where we retract. Maybe, just maybe, we should.

Ask God what is the benefit of this because if.

It's for our benefit and what Paul is saying, and it's to.

Push the gospel forward. Maybe we need to start asking

like. God, what are you?

Trying to do through my afflictions.

What is it that I'm getting out of this that knows?

It's hard to say. But Paul is understanding that

everything that he's gone through.

Is. Bigger than what he thinks.

He knows that God is in control. Of everything.

And then he. Says but but here's this is how

he. Gets through it in verse. 15 so

that the grace. That is, reaching more and more

people may cause Thanksgiving. To overflow.

You know what the benefit is, is that more and more people are

knowing. Christ, so let me help us.

So let's just go. Point #1.

How do I fight? Discouragement in my life?

Simple. Share the gospel.

Share the gospel. Lead others to Christ.

Talk about Jesus. How do I say?

The same thing three times. Differently, what Paul is saying

is like. Man if my discouragement sinks

because more and more people. Are finding grace in him.

It's hard. Listen to me.

It's hard to feel all. Depressed and down and despair.

When you're are making disciples.

And sharing Christ. Share the Gospel Share.

I'm not talking about inviting people to church, I'm talking

about sharing the life giving message of the.

Gospel. I'm talking about like.

Going up to people and and just sharing Jesus with them.

Talking to Jesus about every Just talk to him about Jesus.

And there's something in your. Soul that stirs up that.

Like illuminates, and it's. Hard for us to be.

All depressed and then just all like in our fields whenever.

We share Christ. Because that message is life

giving, so I'm not going to be down and depressed when I preach

the gospel message. To everybody and many.

Of us. Have to start thinking about how

to. How do I go through it man?

Talk about Jesus, one of my. Favorite things, all right.

So one of the biggest questions I get as a.

Pastor is Ricky when? Do you?

When do you rest? I love what people say.

When do you Sabbath? When is your Sabbath?

And, and I'll be honest with you, like when I'm tired, I.

Sleep when I feel. Like I need to get away, I get

away. It's a.

Rhythm, but one of the. Things that rejuvenates and

restores my soul the most is when I go.

Hang out with. Somebody else in ministry?

Whether it's a pastor. Like I was having coffee with

Pastor Mario the other day and we were talking about something

like y'all. Remember in the summer?

When like we had acoustic. Sunday because half of our

building went out. 'Cause there was some.

Lightning shock, that. Hit and our soundboard just.

Anyway. We're I'm, I'm we're sharing.

That story and it's same thing happened to him in River Oaks.

And we're, like talking. He's like, yeah.

Bro, we turned on nothing sounded.

I was like, I know, me too. And then he's like, yeah, we

were scrambling everywhere trying to figure out what to do.

And I was like, man, like our. Guys were sad, so we were good,

right? Like and all this stuff and I

was like man. And it like cost us an arm and a

leg like train half our savings. Man, but isn't it awesome?

And he's like, yeah. There's something about serving

Jesus. Regardless of the hardships.

And the stresses and the. Pressures of life.

That rejuvenates the soul. And what you rejuvenates?

The soul is knowing that more and more.

People get to experience the gospel of grace.

More and more. People get to meet Christ.

More and more. People get to kick to.

Experience forgiveness. And that's what Paul is saying

here. Listen, this is a benefit to me.

The reason I'm going through all these things?

Is to push. This gospel message forward.

So that the grace is. Reaching more and more.

People and it may cause and I look.

Watch here it is. It may cause Thanksgiving so.

As I share the gospel. My soul becomes more thankful.

It becomes Thanksgiving. To overflow to the.

Glory of God listen Paul's whole ministry, everything that Paul.

Was about was about his glory, we see at first.

1 Corinthians 10:30

Corinthians chapter 10, verse 30.

One this. Is a verse that my.

Dad has everywhere in every. Closet everything I do.

Whether I eat or. Drink everything I.

Do I do it for the glory of God? Let me ask you A.

Question. What motivates you daily?

What motivates? You to get out of.

Bed and do what you got to do. What motivates?

You to go to. Work in the morning.

To love your wife and. Kids, what motivates?

You to serve the Lord. We need to check our motivations

because what Paul? 'S saying you know that the.

The biggest thing that motivates?

Me to keep going when things are.

Difficult the glory of God. What?

Motivates me to keep doing this because listen, if your

motivation is anything else that's not God's glory, it's

going to collapse on itself if your motivation is people.

Likes platforms. If your motivation are crowds.

It's. Going to collapse on itself.

It's going to fail you. Every time.

So your motivation. Has to be something so strong

and significant. That it's able to hold the

purposes of Christ, the glory of God.

And that's what. Paul's saying he's like, man,

this Thanksgiving, this overflow is to what motivates me every

single day and what motivates me to get through my.

Hardships, which is the glory of God.

So how do I fight? Discouragement.

Talk about Jesus Share the. Gospel.

Oh, but it gets better. Check this out.

Paul's going to go to another level here.

So he says all. That and then verse 16 hits and

then he goes there. For right, So he's about.

To connect everything we just learned.

With what's ahead of us because of all this.

Because it's a. Benefit because I have faith.

Because I know that this is bigger than me.

Because I know God's going to honor this.

Because of all this stuff, therefore we let's all say

together. Do not.

Lose here it is therefore. We do not lose heart, though.

Outwardly we're wasting away, yet inwardly we're being

renewed. Day by day, I love that Paul

uses. This term, don't lose heart.

I started reading into it except like I.

Feel like I've heard. Lou, don't lose heart more than

once from the. Apostle Paul in Second

Corinthians. And a lot of his epistles.

But here's what's fascinating about this.

Because this is what we got to do.

Like what? We call like some word.

Studies so. Whenever you see this whole

term, don't lose heart and the Greek.

The word is ekekao. Which means to become weary and

faint, which makes sense. What?

Paul is saying. Is don't become weary or faint.

You know Jesus says this in John chapter 16 as well.

John 16 · chapter mention

You see that Greek word ekekeo? But here's what's wild about

this. John does not use.

Ekekeo, he uses a. Different Greek.

Word. He uses enkekao right?

So he's trying to match both. Same word but different

definitions. It's like me saying he got

knocked out and then she's knocking at the door.

Same word, same spelling, but different means of defining.

And what? Paul is saying he's like, don't

lose heart. He's not saying do not become

faint and become tired. He uses Anka Kale.

This definition is crazy, what Anka Kale's saying and I'll put.

It up here don't lose heart means.

Abandoning oneself to cowardly surrender.

IE stop being a punk about it. Don't lose heart, he's saying.

Don't quit, he goes. When you quit, you're being a

coward. That means that you do not want

to take on what's difficult and hard.

You rather turn around with your tail between your legs and run

off instead of facing what's difficult in life.

And what Paul is saying, he was like Anki kill.

He's like man. Don't be a.

Coward and surrender right now. He's not saying don't be faint,

he's saying don't be a. Coward.

And run away. Take heart, your afflictions are

going to hit you. But take heart why?

He says. Why not be a coward?

Why don't surrender? Because.

Outwardly we're. Wasting away, but inwardly

we're. Being renewed day by day.

What Paul does, he gives us 2. Reasons why not to lose heart in

these next couple of verses, he says hey, don't be a cow.

Don't. Don't cowardly.

Surrender. Don't don't run off.

I need you to fight. Through this Paul.

Could not abandon his calling. He's like I, I.

Can't just because things are hard, I I can't quit on this.

The message. Is too strong.

So what he does? Instead, instead of abandoning

his call to to move the gospel. Forward because life is

difficult. What he does instead is that he.

Looks at how God is. Going.

To strengthen him through it. He's trusting.

He would trust. Remember he started out with

Psalms 116 so. He's like because I believe.

I'm speaking. I'm trusting in God.

Remember, we just sang this. I'm trusting in God to

strengthen me through it. How does God strengthen me

through. This he gives us 2.

Ways number one is, is new mercies.

Daily. So I'm going to put down the.

Screen, there's two ways. Number one is new mercies and

then number. 2 is an eternal perspective.

New mercies and an. Eternal perspective.

Let's talk about new mercies real quickly.

Look what he says, right? He's like outwardly we're.

Wasting away but. Internally, when being renewed,

that word renewed is important because in lamentations he goes

man like. Your great is your.

Faithfulness because we get new mercies every day.

That means that regardless. Of what happened today,

tomorrow. Is a fresh start.

No matter how. Bad.

I jacked it up. Today, no matter how terrible I

feel today, no matter what happened to me today, I know

that. I could.

Cry out to God because He is faithful.

To be with me and I have a brand new day tomorrow.

And what Paul is referring to is like, listen.

Outwardly, yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm going.

I'm wasting away. There ain't nothing you could do

to restore. Me physically, outwardly.

I can't go back in time and become younger and not be hurt

as much, but inwardly I'm able to be renewed and restored every

single day. Through the grace of God.

And he's able to grow me more and more into his son, which we

call sanctification. And I'm able to do that on a

daily. Basis so.

No matter how bad I Jack it up today, tomorrow I get to try

again. God does not hold it over your.

Head but if I ask for. Forgiveness.

If I ask him for help, you know he's going to do.

He's going to help me. He's going to renew me, he's

going to restore me. We get new mercies every single

day. Praise.

God, that he does not hold grudges against our sin if we

ask him for forgiveness. He will.

Restore us and renew us then in verse 17.

We talk about eternal perspective.

Look what 17 says. This is pretty cool too, he

goes. For our light and momentary.

Troubles. Are achieving for us an eternal

glory that far outweighs them all.

What Paul is saying, he's like, I don't.

Just get new mercies every day. But because my eternal.

Perspective. That means that there's.

Something greater going on in this picture that I am

struggling with right now. So because there's something.

Greater because God is bigger. Than this because the gospel.

Message of Jesus Christ is. So much bigger than this.

The stuff that I'm struggling with right now, the pancake hits

the getting like. Lighted up the, the the.

Hardships. They're light, and momentarily.

You know, if you ever. Any weight.

Lifters in here. Ronnie Coleman when he would.

Work out I mean. Five time, Mr. Olympia.

He would always go to the bar. You know.

Super heavy and he would yell. Out 2 words Lightweight

lightweight baby. That's all you would do and then

he would power clean like 1000 lbs.

I'm like, what are you saying is right now what I'm about?

To lift it's light mentally. Even though I'm going to

struggle. Physically.

Where I'm at right now, I'm looking at it.

It's. Light and.

You know why it's light? Because.

It's momentary, it's not going to last forever, so.

Paul is saying man all these and then he uses.

The word troubles, I think, a. Better term would be

afflictions. The word.

Affliction in the Greek refers to an intense pressure.

So what he's saying is that these afflictions.

These short. Time frames of intense pressure

have nothing when I. Weigh it against God's glory.

It's easy, it's light work. And when we look at the span of

eternity, what I'm going through right now in these little measly

8090 years, me, I'm hundred. I'm, I'm aiming for, I'm, I want

to be a cent. I want to live a century.

That's nothing when you. Look at the span of eternity

guys. It is a.

Vapor it is. It is quick.

That's all Paul is saying. So he's.

Like man, our light momentary. Troubles are.

Achieving for us an eternal. Glory that far.

Outweighs them all, all right. So we got.

We got. To break down, this outweighs

them, right? I think a better translation.

Would be our weight of glory. So the stuff I'm going through.

It's going to feel light. And it's going to be quick when

I compare it to the weight in glory.

Now, what Paul's doing. Remember last week we talked

about how like Paul likes to mesh 2?

Words like bujiro, right? Like the So what, Paul?

Does he's that he meshes? A.

Greek and a Hebrew concept here. So what he's saying is that the

heaviness? Of God's glory.

Is not just heavy. But it's also great, so.

You want to talk about? Pressure of our.

Afflictions has nothing compared.

To the weight. And the greatness.

Of God's glory, See God's glory. Yes, it would weigh.

Down on us. It's God's glory.

There's nothing that. Could outweigh it, it's too

heavy. There's nothing that can lift,

there's nothing that could move. Or.

Press against God's glory. Because of the weight.

And the greatness of it, it's impossible.

So what Paul is saying, man, when I, when I look at this

compared to God's glory, it outweighs them all.

No matter how heavy my afflictions are, no matter how

difficult my troubles are, no matter what things have

happened, what people have done to me, the betrayals, the

ugliness, the abuse, whatever is coming my way as I'm serving the

Lord, none of that. Outweighs His glory.

It actually runs against it. Because it's way too heavy.

And it's too great. You can't move.

And then Paul gives us. Another way.

How do I fight? Against discouragement, and this

is the Third Point right here, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. We see this in Hebrews. 12 but

Paul. Also says it here in verse 18.

So what do I do? Again, you mercies daily.

I have an eternal perspective now because I know that none of

this outweighs your glory and your greatness, man.

What do I do and how do I keep moving?

How do I fight discouragement? So we fix our eyes.

Not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen

is. Temporary, but what is?

Unseen is eternal. What Paul is saying is you need

to stop looking at the stuff. IE the stuff of the world.

Everything will fade away. Everything has a start and an

end date. Everything will one day expire.

So what we? Do instead of placing our

eyesight on the things that really don't carry the weight on

the things that can't. Outweigh God's glory.

We fix our eyes. On God's glory and his name is

Jesus. So in our afflictions and our

hard times, you fix your eyes on Christ.

And you pursue him because? Christ is not going to fade.

He's going to be. There forever he is why we're

able to do what we do regardless of our hard.

Times and our troubles so. You got to get your eyesight up.

You got to start. Looking at Christ, especially in

these really difficult times that we're going through, and

there's three things that I think will.

Help us. To fix our eyes on.

Christ, if you fix. Your eyes on Christ.

Because what Paul is getting here is ministry, and what Paul

wants is an enduring ministry. Jesus talks about a faith that

lasts. Paul is.

Talking about a ministry. That lasts.

How do I? Run with endurance.

How do I not lose heart and punk out because it gets too.

Hard. You got to look at.

Jesus and when you look at. Jesus, there's three.

Things that actually happened. So I'm put those three things

up. So we have to look.

Beyond some things, as Christians, as believers in

Christ, number one, got to look beyond the.

Physical to the spiritual. When things are going on

physically, we know that there's a spiritual component to it as

well, whether it's unrepentant sin.

Whether it's, it's just. Unforgiveness, whether it's

something that is weighing down on us and many times some of the

things that we're going through and some of the afflictions.

Take a physical. Toll on our bodies, do you know?

Stress stuff to your body. Stress could put.

You in a hospital. Unforgiveness.

Could do stuff to your body. There's a lot of things that

could happen to us. So we have to look.

Beyond the physical and go to the spiritual #2 we have to stop

looking at the present and start looking to the future.

And remember what discouragement.

Does right? Discouragement gives you like a.

Distaste for the present. And a distrust to the.

Future. But if we are not discouraged

and we're encouraged in the gospel in.

Christ, we're able to look. Further to the future instead.

Of the. Present God has something

greater and something bigger. And then lastly we got to.

Look at what's visible. And we have to look.

Stop looking at what's visible. And look to what's invisible.

We look at the. Things that we can't see.

That's what Paul says, and that requires faith.

Faith most of our afflictions, as we're serving the Lord, as we

keep getting hit, as we keep getting nailed sometimes.

We have to dig deep. Into our faith and say, Lord, I

don't know what's happening. Right now, but because I I

believe. I'm going to speak this some.

You need to speak up and say listen, I will not let.

What somebody did to me? Define my future because my God

is way bigger. Way bigger than what we believe.

In what we know and. What we think.

God wants to do something so much greater in our lives.

But I got to trust him. I got to trust him.

I've seen too much not. To be able to trust my God.

Paul recognized that the world only sees the outward, not the

unseen, eternal things. It's funny, it's like the more

that I do this, the more that you pray and spend time with

God, the more you see this, not just in the life.

Of the church, but also. In the lives of my family and in

people where God has. Such a great purpose.

Something so much bigger that's happening.

Don't lose heart. Don't lose heart, just.

Keep going. Don't.

Don't be a coward. Don't crawl up into a little.

Ball man, some of y'all just need to get.

Off podcasts. And stop listening to these.

Psychological stuff, just. Get in the word.

For a second, stop going to. Like all these like like.

Listen, just get in God's Word sometimes.

Listen to what he's he's. Telling us.

Get around people who know the the word of the.

Lord, let let that feed your. Soul, you know, I know.

What some of y'all are thinking as we close here.

Well, Ricky, did y'all win versus Crowley?

Actually, no. We got killed.

You know what's funny? We lost like 38 to 10.

It was, it was bad. It was ugly.

What's even crazier is that my senior year of high school, we

didn't win one game. We went.

Oh, and 10 isn't. That great.

It's awful, I. Had 35 players on varsity this

whole year going like four ways. It was awful.

But you know. What's crazy, though?

Me playing football in high school, it absolutely had no

weight on whether Rachel decided.

To marry me or not? It had no decision on the job.

That I applied for. And that the job that God gave

me. It had my winning or losing.

My losing season had nothing on the decisions that I made in my

life. But you know what that season

did, though, as difficult. As it was, there was.

Some things in that season that I learned, things that built my

character being. Able to go through hardships.

Getting through tough workouts, seeing everybody else quit and

leave because their friend lab, because they failed classes,

because they failed drug. Tests but but I was able to stay

there it. Taught me to go and and provide

for my family even though I don't feel.

Like it today? It.

Taught me to go to work even though my tummy hurts.

It toughened me up. And listen, there's some

afflictions in our lives that God is going to use that you

don't understand the outcome. You don't understand man.

Like, why am I part of this losing team right now?

Why? Why am IA part of this losing

season? And God's like, listen, it's not

that the end of the season is what I'm working on you right

now. Don't give up.

Let me. Shape your character.

Let me. Strengthen your faith, let me.

Help you to get you. To the next season.

That I have for you. And for some of us following

Jesus, it's going to take some. Affliction so that.

Way we could see his. Complete work in our lives you.

Cannot give up. You cannot.

Quit. You got to keep it going.

And as Paul says, don't. Lose heart.

There's somebody else that. Gives us a better.

Response, Paul says don't lose. Heart but John. 1633 Jesus says

take heart as you're. Serving the Lord and as.

Things just don't seem like it's easy.

Right now it's hard. As Paul says, don't lose heart.

So if you don't lose heart, there's got to be an exchange.

Jesus says take heart. For.

I have overcome the world. Listen, your afflictions, the

things that you're going through are not going to define you.

They're not going to bury. You.

And they're not going to hold you back to the purposes and

plans that. God has set forward if you take

heart. Grab on.

Jesus says take heart, I've. Overcome the world.

All this stuff that's. Happening right now, the

adversary. Is doing.

For you. No, no, no.

I am over all of this right now. And what I'm going to do is I'm

going to. Use it for your.

Good because you love me and will strengthen your faith.

I'm going to use it to bring glory to my name, to bring

people. Into a relationship with God

through grace. And it's going to be for your

benefit and it's going to take. Your.

Discouragement, and it's going to change it into encouragement

and your discouragement. Instead of you falling.

Into an earthly discouragement Jesus by taking.

Heart and fix your eyes on him. He's going to turn it into an

earthly, I mean a heavenly obedience.

And your life? Is going to never be the.

Same. You're going to thrive, you're

going to see some great things because you're with Jesus, not

because of the outcome. The outcomes are with him, and

that's what. We need to do today.